


Something Wicked This Way Comes

by Cleonhart, owarijanai



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M, Magic-Users, NCT and Shinee are just extras, OT12 - Freeform, Possession, Tarot, Wicca, Witchcraft, Witches, don't get too excited
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-26
Updated: 2018-04-25
Packaged: 2018-10-10 22:11:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 54,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10448655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cleonhart/pseuds/Cleonhart, https://archiveofourown.org/users/owarijanai/pseuds/owarijanai
Summary: After his family kicked him out for daring to ask questions about his true nature, Jongin stumbles across a wayward wiccan shop and discovers that sometimes the universe brings people together in the strangest of ways."Welcome to The Lost World Wiccan and Magick shop."





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> A story written with my best friend, Cleonhart. This story was originally posted on AFF under the same name, but I'm kind of wanting to move stuff over to ao3 now, so here you go.
> 
> Also, we know a bit about wicca, but we're not experts and we don't pretend to be, so forgive us if we get anything wrong and feel free to correct us! We could use all the help we can get.

Jongin almost tripped as he stepped off the bus, catching himself before he could tumble onto the unfamiliar sidewalk. 

He didn’t know where he was. 

At first, getting on the bus with a backpack full of clothing and some money and riding it until he was as far away from his hometown had sounded like a great idea, but now Jongin was beginning to regret his decision a little. 

_Whatever. I’ll just find a hotel for the night, figure out where I am, and come up with a plan._

As reckless as he was acting, Jongin didn’t really care. Things couldn’t have gotten any worse.

The moment he thought that, however, it started raining. In a matter of seconds the whole sky seemed to have fallen, fat drops of rain coming down hard enough to sting his skin. Jongin made a run for it, passing by shops and restaurants until he finally found one with an overhang large enough that he could duck under. He toyed with the idea of going inside, but figured that the citizens of this small town wouldn’t be overjoyed at a strange, soaking wet teenager barging into their business. 

Cursing his complete lack of luck, not for the first time that day, frustration built up in Jongin. He felt so helpless, standing in an unfamiliar place, hiding under a shop’s roof to avoid the sudden storm that had appeared out of seemingly nowhere, soaked to the bone and freezing. 

_What now?_ he thought as he leaned back against the door of the shop, only to yelp when it opened, causing him to stumble inside and land on his ass. 

_Ow._

After having been able to avoid letting them fall all day, Jongin finally felt tears prickling at the backs of his eyes. He was just so _done_ with everything and all he wanted was a goddamn break from all the bullshit this day had to offer. 

“I hope you’re going to clean that, because I’m certainly not.”

Lost in his thoughts, Jongin hadn’t realized that there was someone behind him—that there had been anyone else in the shop at all—and he was startled at the sudden voice. He whipped around and looked up at the man looming over him. 

The first thing that Jongin noticed were the slanted, almost feline eyes that watched him in dry amusment and the thin lips that were curled into what _would_ have been a kind smile, if not for the stranger’s eyes. They were what really sent Jongin on edge; there was this playfully sinister shine glinting in those dark irises that had Jongin’s skin crawling. 

But what the man had said confused him. Clean what? Jongin looked down at himself and realized that he had managed to make quite the puddle; rainwater dripped off of him in rivulets and onto the dark hardwood flooring. 

“O-oh, shit I’m so sorry. Yeah, I’ll—uh, I’ll clean it up. I’m sorry.” He fumbled to get up, clutching at the strap of his backack and avoiding the other man’s unnerving gaze. “Sorry.”

The dark-eyed man raised an eyebrow. “Well, well well. You’re not at all what I expected,” he said, his voice coming out lilting and sultry as he moved closer to Jongin— _too_ close—and grinned. “You look like quite the lost kitty, but you’re not completely out of place, are you?”

Jongin’s eyebrows furrowed, his confusion growing as he tried to put some distance between them. He was taller than the other, much taller, but for some reason he felt like a child underneath this man’s stare. “What?”

The man laughed and there was no mirth within it. The sound itself was cold and mocking. “Do you even know what you are?”

“I—I’m sorry?” Jongin’s heart felt like it was frozen in his chest and simultaneously about to explode from the panic that began to consume him. Energy buzzed under his skin, fingertips tingling as his need to escape grew.

“Oh, I don’t think you do.” The man pressed him up against the wall, a smirk sliding along his lips to replace the grin from earlier. “You have no idea of what you can do; how interesting.”

“Interesting? I-I have no idea—” 

“Chen! Stop that, you’re going to give the poor boy a heart attack!”

Jongin turned toward the new voice, his breathing a bit ragged, and saw a shorter man with styled brown hair glaring their way. In response to the newcomer’s order, Chen pulled back from where he’d been looming over Jongin and sighed.

“Come on, Baekhyun, can’t I have a little fun every once in a while?”

“Yeah sure, once you start getting off your lazy ass and actually doing some work once and a while. Now stop scaring away all my custome— _oh_.” 

The other man—whom Jongin assumed was Baekhyun—stopped short as his eyes settled on Jongin and he stared for a moment, blinking in what looked like shock.

“Hi there.”

Jongin blinked in return, still kind of cowering in the corner. “U-uh … hi.”

It was then that Baekhyun seemed to notice the state Jongin was in. He quickly set down the cardboard box he’d been carrying and gestured for Jongin to step further into the shop. “Oh god, look at you, you’re soaking wet. Come in and I’ll get you a towel. Actually, scratch that. Chen, _you_ go get him a towel if you’re just going to stand there and do nothing.”

Chen made an obvious noise of annoyance and turned on his heel, disappearing through the doorway behind the counter. He reappeared moments later with a towel and an added crease to his forehead.

“Chanyeol’s a fucking idiot,” he said as he thrust the towel in Jongin’s direction. “But I’m sure you already knew that, Baekhyun. He yelled _begone, demon_ when I walked in and then tried to hex me.”

Baekhyun was unsympathetic as he took the towel. Jongin didn’t know what to do.

_Demons? Hex? What?_

Too caught up in his own confusion, Jongin almost didn’t notice when the towel was draped over his head, Baekhyun rubbing it along his hair and down his neck and shoulders. Feeling like a child, Jongin took hold of the towel himself, blushing when Baekhyun just smiled wryly.

“Alright, now that you’re not a water fountain, come upstairs with me. You look like you need a hot bath and some food.”

“I-I’m not a stray,” Jongin said, his voice shaky as he glanced around for an escape. “I don’t need to—” 

He suddenly went still, his eyes widening as the shop around him came into focus. He’d been so shocked before that he hadn’t noticed it, but now he realized that he was standing in a store full of very strange items: candles and extremely old books and was that a fucking crystal ball in the corner? “What … what is this place?”

Baekhyun grinned and Chen rolled his eyes as if what the shorter man was about to say was going to physically pain him. 

“Stray, maybe not, but I think you belong here more than you think you do.” Baekhyun grinned, opening his arms in a dramatic sweeping motion as he gestured around the shop. “Welcome to The Lost World Wiccan and Magick shop.”

Jongin didn’t really know how to reply to that at first. He just kind of stood there, staring at Baekhyun and Chen and thinking about demons and hexes and wicca and trying to figure out when exactly his life had become a sitcom.

_Of all the places I could’ve walked into …_

“Um, sorry, what?” he asked after a moment, glancing at Chen warily. “Wiccan and magick shop?”

“Oh, don’t tell me.” Chen grinned ferally. “You really don’t know?”

“Know _what!?_ What am I not getting?!” After the day Jongin had just lived through, this was the last straw. 

Baekhyun’s gaze softened once again and he placed a hand on Jongin’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s get you warmed up first and then we can talk. It’ll probably be a lot for you to take in. We don’t need you passing out or something.”

Chen tilted his head to the side. “I don’t know. I think he’d look really sexy unconscious.”

Jongin paled a little.

“Oh my God, Chen, that’s gross,” Baekhyun said, turning to Jogin and adding, “Don’t listen to him. He’s the devil incarnate.”

Chen flashed him an award-winning smile. “For you? _Always_.”

Jongin could feel a headache splitting his brain and he honestly considered walking back into the storm.

A sudden booming noise interrupted their conversation, shaking the very foundation of the building until Jongin was sure it’d collapse. It didn’t, thankfully, and moments later a tall redhead stumbled out of the shop’s back room. His face was smudged with grime and his hair stuck up in all directions, pronouncing the wild look in his eyes. The lab coat he was wearing had its sleeves rolled up to the redhead’s elbows, showing off the tattoos around his wrists, and everything about him screamed _mad scientist._

He was also holding a fire extinguisher.

“It’s okay!” he gasped, grinning at them. “Everything is okay. We are not on fire.”

Jongin barely noticed the smoke leaking from the open doorway. Darkness began to creep over his vision, his knees giving out as all his strength left him, and he collapsed. He heard the muted sounds of what he was pretty sure was Baekhyun shouting and Chen laughing, then the darkness took over him completely.


	2. Fires Burn and Cauldrons Bubble

  
Jongin dreamt of the night sky. 

He could tell it was a dream because the sky was full of stars, and since Jongin had grown up in the city, he’d never actually seen a star filled sky before. But what really told him it was a dream were the shadows dancing along the edge of his vision, warping and twisting in a way that reminded Jongin of a dance. It was frightning at first, but after a few moments he started to enjoy it, moving his dream state body along with the shadows. The sky had gone completely black save for a few stars clustered together—eleven of them. The shadows moved closer and closer, threatening to consume him. 

Jongin wasn’t scared. 

 

 

The first thing Jongin noticed as he woke up was the smell of smoke. It wasn’t the alarming, life threatening kind or even that of a campfire. It was a sweet scent that filled his nose, instantly relaxing him despite the ache that resonated through his body. The second thing was the couch beneath him, but that was odd. Why was he on a couch?

“Oh, you’re awake?” Chen was suddenly standing over him, grinning widely. “By the way, I was right. You _do_ look sexy when you’re unconscious.”

Jongin’s initial reaction was to curl his hand into a fist. But before he could pull it back and sock Chen in a the jaw, a rather large, warm hand descended onto his shoulder, startling him.

Following the hand up the arm and to the body it was attached to—and having to crane his neck back pretty far—Jongin set his eyes on the most intimidating man he had ever seen in his entire short life. Whoever he was, he was easily over six feet tall, towering above Jongin and looking down at him with dark, calculating eyes. He had intense, chisled features that contrasted the light tone of his hair and pale, soft looking skin. 

Jongin felt his heart jump into his throat, unable to discern the feeling from being terrified or kind of turned on.

The tall man stared at Jongin a moment longer before turning to Chen, his eyes narrowed. “Perhaps it’s time we do another blessing; it seems we have a demon in the house.”

Chen scoffed at him. “Well, fuck you too, Kris.”

“Back off the new kid.”

Despite the defiance in Chen’s eyes, he did as he was told, backing away with his hands up.

Jongin eyed Chen warily before turning his attention back to Kris. “Um, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Kris offered him a very small, very tentative smile. “I heard everything from Baekhyun while you were out. It seems fate had it that you stumbled into our humble little shop.”

Jongin frowned. “You guys keep saying that, but I have no idea what you’re talking about. I had to get out the rain and you were the only place that had an overhang and then I stumbled in. I don’t really call that fate.”

“Mmhmm.” Kris didn’t look convinced. His expression had turned knowing, as if he had a secret Jongin wasn’t aware of, and he leaned down closer to the teenager. “Baekhyun told me about that part too. It seems you know a little of what you are, but not enough to believe in it or discover its full strength.”

His frustration from earlier returned, but Jongin had a feeling it was best not to snap at Kris. As friendly as the other was acting, there was something about him that screamed ‘do not piss off if you value your existence.’

“I can see you’re confused, so I suppose we’ll get around to explaining it.” Kris straightened and moved to sit opposite Jongin. That was when Jongin noticed that wherever he was, it was a room quite different from the shop he’d been in before, a realization that scared him a little. He didn’t like not knowing where he was.

“Sehun, you might want to make him some tea,” Kris was saying.

A younger male with blond hair and a look of boredom on his face came into view, sighing heavily. “Do I have to do everything around here?”

Kris ignored the younger man and leaned forward, planting his elbows on his kees and clasping his hands together. The serious expression on his face reminded Jongin of those doctors on dramas informing their patients that they have cancer.

“First things first,” Kris began. “We’ll have to establish what you are.”

Chen suddenly came up behind him, a shit-eating grin on his face. “You’re a wizard, Harry!”

Jongin didn’t even get a chance to react to that because Kris was on his feet in an instant, his eyes flashing red as he got up in Chen’s face. He didn’t say anything, didn’t do anything, just approached Chen with a look so murderous that the shorter man fell back a few steps, fear evident in his expression.

“Sit,” Kris snarled.

Surprisingly, Chen obeyed, plopping down on a chair in the corner and not moving an inch as Kris returned to the couch across from Jongin. 

“As I was saying,” the blond continued.

Jongin strained to focus on Kris’s words. His heart—which had previously been in throat—had plummeted down to his stomach, and the sound of his own blood rushing through his veins filling his ears. He was terrified.

Kris sighed. “I scared you, didn’t I?”

Sehun came back in just then, holding a steaming cup of tea. “Oh my God, Kris, you still haven’t told him yet?”

“Chen was being his usual demonic self.”

“For fuck’s sakes.” Sehun turned to Jongin. “I’m sorry. Everyone here is really stupid.”

“Sehun,” Kris said warningly.

“What? It’s true!”

“Just give him his tea and go so I can tell him already.” 

“Fine, whatever.” Sehun handed the cup over to Jongin, rolling his eyes as he did. “Careful, it’s hot.”

Jongin took the cup but didn’t drink, letting the heated ceramic singe his fingers as he tried to ground himself. He was so bewildered. Nothing around him was making sense anymore, and everyone kept talking about demons and hexes and whatever the hell they were supposed to be telling him. Jongin kind of hoped he was having a dream. Then he could wake up back at home and realized that none of this had actually happened.

_If only._

“Anyway. Chen was right on some level,” Kris continued once Sehun left. “You have magick inside of you. Very strong magick. Baekhyun felt it right away. We all did, in fact, the moment he brought you here. And I think you already know that you’re not exactly normal.”

Jongin could feel everyone’s eyes on him but he said nothing; his silence was enough of an answer.

Kris nodded. “I thought so. It shouldn’t surprise you, then, to know that we’re all like that. Or …” he glared at Chen who was still sitting on the chair in the corner, looking terrified, “Most of us, anyway.”

The redhead from before spoke then, the one with the tattoos and the look of a mad scientist. “Do you know what kind of magic you have?” 

His voice was a lot deeper than Jongin had imagined and it was distracting. It was also distracing to know that he was surrounded by strangers, all of whom were staring straight at him. He could see them in his peripheral vision, could feel their stares on the back of his neck, and he tightened his hold on the cup in his hands.

“I think we’re scaring him, you guys,” Baekhyun said.

“No fucking kidding.” Jongin muttered, cheeks flushing in embarrassment at the shocked looks he got in response. “Magick? Really? I’m currently more concerned for _your_ mental health than I am my own.”

Kris’s eyes narrowed, the friendly disposition he’d been sporting gone in a flash. “Ignorance will get you nowhere.”

“Neither will fairytales.”

Heaving a sigh, Kris stood. “Very well.” 

The blond seemed to tower over Jongin even more than he had before as he straightened to his full height. His eyes were no longer a normal dark brown color. Instead they were red, like fire, burning and sparking with barely-contained power. The air around him grew heavy and hot, stifling, and Kris’s skin seemed to _shift_ , something underneath it writhing, struggling to break free.

When Jongin saw an outline of what looked like scales break out across Kris’s face and neck, he decided he’d had enough. 

“O-okay! Okay fine, I believe you!” he gasped. “Yeah, some weird unexplanable shit happened to me when I was younger. _You’re right._ I was curious and tried asking my parents about it but they all they would give me was stupid vague answers and say things like “don’t worry about it, Jongin. It doesn’t matter anymore.” But because I couldn’t fucking let it go, I did my goddamn research. I wanted explanations as to why I was so different. So I kept pursuing it until I figured it out. I was so proud of myself for how much research I had done, so I decided to tell my parents. But because I was so fucking adamant on getting an answer, my parents disowned me. They kicked their only son about not because he was “different” but because he _knew_ he was different and they thought I would turn into some witchy freak! So forgive me if I’m a little reluctant to discuss the topic. Fucking happy now?!” Jongin sucked in a huge breath after finishing his rant, sweat beading at his forehead from the exertion of his outburst.

Kris was back to normal now. In fact, he looked oddly satisfied. “Well then,” he said. “Do you feel better now that you got that out of your system, Jongin?”

The younger man just slumped down and threw an arm over his eyes. “Whatever.”

“You know, we only want to help you,” Baekhyun said. “Jongin, was it? We all know how strange and scary it is to have your powers manifest and not know how to control them, but we can help you get past that if you let us.”

“And what, you’re some super secret do-gooder witch coven that is destined to save the world or something?” Jongin snapped. He knew he was being an ass, but he felt like he needed to get his frustration out somehow.

“Don’t talk to Baekhyun like that,” Kris retorted. “He’s right; we _are_ just trying to help. And no, we might not be a super secret do-gooder witch coven destined to save the world, but we take care of each other. And considering the position you are in right now, I say you could stand to stop being a little dickhead and maybe be grateful that we didn’t throw you into the rain when you passed out in our shop.” 

He was right. Again. It irked Jongin to no end, but the fight had all but left him at this point, frustration draining away with his angry remarks and leaving only the crippling truth of eveything that had happened to him. Without realizing it, tears started stream down his face, wetting the bare skin of his forearm and dripping down the side of his temples.

“Oh, shit,” Sehun said, “Look what you did, Kris. You made him cry.”

“I did _not!_ ”

“Hey, it’s alright.” Baekhyun quickly rushed to Jongin’s side, taking the cup of now-cold tea from his hands and replacing it with tissues. “It’s okay.”

Jongin weakly held onto the tissues but did nothing to wipe his eyes, concentrating all the energy he had left into not breaking under the pressure of the sobs hitched in his throat.

“No, it’s okay. You can cry.” Baekhyun rubbed soothing circles on his back. “You can cry if you need to.”

And that was it. 

The touch to Jongin’s back set off a switch inside him, and the next thing he knew he was cligning to Baekhyuns, practically wailing into the older man’s neck. “H-How could they?” he cried, voice warbled with sobs. “I-I thought they loved me, but, but...”

Baekhyun gave Kris a look and the taller man sighed, hanging his head as he stood.

“I guess we’re done for today,” Kris said. “Baekhyun, stay with Jongin. Come get me when he’s calm again.”

Baekhyun nodded, wrapping his arms around Jongin as he sobbed. Everyone else dispersed, obviously made a little awkward by the waterworks show, and left the two alone in the living room. Jongin’s tears didn’t show signs of stopping anytime soon, but Baekhyun didn’t mind.

“That’s it,” he murmured. “Let it all out.” 

 

 

After Jongin calmed down a little, Baekhyun gave him another cup of hot tea, instructing him to lie down on the couch and get some rest.

“Come on downstairs when you’re okay again,” he said.

Jongin did so gratefully. The carthatic relase he’d just experienced had taken its toll on him; he was exhausted. As such, he ended up sleeping all through the night and waking to see sunlight streaming in through the windows. 

Oops.

Once fully awake, Jongin considered just laying there on the couch for a couple more hours and avoiding all social contact, but he decided against it when his stomach twisted in protest. That tea he’d had the night before was the first thing to enter his stomach in a little over a day. 

Finding the stairs was easy and Jongin headed down, admiring the beautiful rails and the interesting way it spiraled down on the second floor. He had only seen stairs like that in movies or cartoons. The stairs themselves ended in a long corridor, one dotted with a multitude of doors that led who knew where, all of them closed. Still partly asleep and a little unsure of himself, Jongin decided that the one at the end of the corridor was his best bet.

He exited through it and found himself in the same shop from before, blinking a little at the difference in light. It had been a lot darker in the hallway.

The shop was exactly the same as it had been the day he’d entered it, but with a considerably less amount of people. In fact, there was no one to be seen. Jongin stepped farther into the shop, wrapping his arms around himself as goosebumps raised along his arms. The shop was a bit chilly and Jongin’s clothes were thin. 

Not really knowing what to do with himself and lacking the courage to call out to anyone, Jongin wandered around the shop. He checked out the candles first, thinking that they’d be the most normal thing in the store, but further inspection revealed that the scents themselves were rather strange. 

“Fires burn and Cauldrons bubble?” Jongin mumbled to himself, eying the green-orange speckled candle in his hand.

“That’s just a front.”

Jongin jumped at the unexpected voice, turning around to see Baekhyun standing there with his hands on his hips. “U-uh, pardon?”

“That.” Baekhyun pointed at the candle. “Everything in this part of the shop is fake. We don’t like to give out real magickal items to non-magick folk.”

“Oh.” Jongin put the candle back in its place and shoved his hands in his pockets, embarrased for being caught snooping around. “Do you have real magickal items here then?”

“Of course we do. They’re in the back, just in case we ever get any real witches or wizards wandering through, but the majority of our income is from people trying to be wiccan when they know nothing about it and buying into the fakey, woo woo stuff.” Baekhyun grinned. “It was Kris’s idea.”

Jongin tensed up at Kris’s name, wrapping his arms around his torso once again. The memory of blazing red eyes boring into his forced a shiver down his spine.

“Kris is not that scary, you know,” Baekhyun said.

“To you,” Jongin said, hating how hurt he sounded, how he couldn’t control his feelings. “He probably hates me.”

Surprisingly, Baekhyun laughed. “I highly doubt that. He might’ve been a little pissed because you didn’t believe him at first, but no, he doesn’t hate you. He doesn’t really hate anyone. Not even Chen.” He paused. “Okay, maybe Chen. But definitely not you.”

Jongin’s lips tugged into a small smile and he realized that it was the first time he had smiled in what felt like ages. The twinge of sadness he felt suddenly intensified and he felt tears spring to his eyes, shocking him. He usually wasn’t that expressive and wasn’t one to cry so easily, so where was it coming from?

“Ah, no, don’t cry. I’m sorry.” Baekhyun took a couple steps back. “Sorry.”

The dark haired teenager shook his head, wiping at his eyes. “No, it’s not your fault. I-I don’t know what came over me.”

“Actually … it _is_ my fault.”

“What?” Jongin stared at the other man in confusion. “How?”

Baekhyun looked guilty. “I’m … I’m what you’d call an amplifier of sorts. When people are in the room with me or touching me, their powers are amplified. But so are their emotions.”

Jongin reigned in his tears and cleared his throat. “So you’re a ... a witch also?”

“Yeah.” Baekhyun managed a strained smile. “I have other powers, though. Not just amplifying. I’m also really good with glamours.”

“Oh, I’ve heard of those. That’s when you can like disguise yourself or something … right? Illusions and stuff?”

Baekhyun nodded. “Basically, yeah. But enough about me. Are you feeling better now? I’m sure you must be hungry. I can cook you up something, if you like?”

Jongin’s stomach answered before he could; the mere mention of food had it growling at him. Placing a hand against his abdomen, he glanced at Baekhyun sheepishly.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Baekhyun laughed. “Come on. Let’s go up to the kitchen. I’ll get Sehun to watch the shop. Sehun?”

The blond Jongin had glimpsed before poked his head out of the back. “Yeah?”

“I need you to watch the shop for a bit while I go make Jongin something to eat.”

Sehun sighed. “Yes, sir.”

Jongin followed Baekhyun back down the long corridor and up the spiral staircase to the second floor. Baekhyun headed straight for the kitchen, but Jongin hesitated a little when he saw there was someone else there—someone he hadn’t seen before, but that didn’t really surprise him; it seemed the shop that doubled as an apartment had many inhabitants, and he was slowly meeting them all. 

The first thing he noticed about the man leaning calmly against the kitchen counter, sipping at some steaming drink out of a mug, were his eyes. They were huge. And dark. Pools of onyx that bored into Jongin’s own when he walked into the room. The man was also a head shorter than Jongin was, but he had a strong build—like Baekhyun’s only with fewer feminine curves.

“This is Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun said, gesturing at the short, wide-eyed man as he pulled a few things out of the refridgerator. “Kyungsoo is our resident seer.”

Kyunsoo blinked owlishly at Jongin and said nothing.

“Uh, hi,” Jongin said, wanting to be polite. “I’m Jon—”

“I know,” Kyungsoo interrupted. “Kim Jongin.”

Jongin blinked. “I haven’t told anyone my last name.”

“I know.”

“… Okay.”

“I know _everything_.”

His eyes darkened as he said this and Jongin took an involuntary step back, more than a little freaked out. Before he could say anything more, however, a shout from downstairs garnered his attention.

“Baekhyun!” Chanyeol’s deep voice floated up the stairs. He sounded kind of panicked. “I, uh, I need your help down here! And it’s not for sex! I mean, that would be nice, but there are more pressing issues right now! Not that sex with you isn’t _pressing_ , but that’s not why I need you!”

“Oh my God, Chanyeol, _shut up!_ ” Baekhyun yelled back, his face bright red, “I’m coming!” He gave Jongin an apologetic look, promised to be right back, and then ran off down the stairs, leaving Kyungsoo and Jongin alone.

Great.

Jongin stayed in his spot near the kitchen’s doorway, his instincts screaming at him to book it downstairs and maybe hang around Sehun who seemed a bit less terrifying. Or better yet, out the door and onto the first bus he could find.

“I saw you coming,” Kyungsoo said, startling him.

“Coming? What … what do you mean?” 

“I saw you coming here. To this shop.”

“… Uh-huh.”

“I don’t see you leaving, though.” Kyungsoo smiled a little as he said this and walked off, and Jongin felt his mouth go dry. That had sounded almost like a threat. Had Kyungsoo just threatened him?

Jongin wasn’t sure how long he stood there, contemplating whether or not his life was in danger, but then Baekhyun returned. He looked a little ruffled as he headed straight for the kitchen and set back to work, grumbling as he did.

“U-um, Baekhyun?” Jongin started.

“Hmm?”

“I think you have a serial killer in your house.”

“You mean Kyungsoo?” Baekhyun paused, frowning as he thought about it. “Yeah, probably.”

That did little to comfort Jongin. The small amount of strength left in his legs vanished and he stumbled over to the small kitchen table, lowering himself down with a sigh.

“Don’t worry, he hasn’t killed anyone we know of,” Baekhyun said, frying up something that smelled amazing. 

“Thanks. That makes me feel better.” Jongin rubbed his temples. “What did Chanyeol want?”

“He needed me to get him something from his pantry. He couldn’t get to it because whatever potion he was making would burn if he left it alone.”

Jongin almost didn’t want to ask. “... Potion?”

“Yeah. Chanyeol’s an alchemist.”

“An alchemist. Right.” Jongin ran his fingers through his hair, tugging at the greasy strands. He had showered before he’d left his old house, but the days events, especially the rain, had dirtied it.

Baekhyun set a plate of food down in front of Jongin, jolting him out of his thoughts. It was an omlette, cooked to perfection and smelling delicious, and Baekhyun smiled. 

“You can take a shower after you eat; I bet it’ll make you feel a lot better.”

“Yeah, sure.” Jongin grabbed the fork and hesitated for a moment. “Thank you, by the way.”

“… For what?”

Jongin looked down at his lap, fiddling with the fork. “For everything.”

Baekhyun smiled. “You’re welcome. You seemed like you could use the help. Besides …” He sat down in the chair next to Jongin. “It’s nice to have a new face around. Most of the other members of the coven are out and about during the day, and I end up getting stuck with _Sehun_.” He made a face as if that pained him.

That made Jongin laugh. He raised a hand to hover over his mouth, feeling shy in front of the obviously older man.

“You know,” Baekhyun said with a smile, “I think that’s the first time I’ve heard you laugh. It’s nice; you should do it more often.”

Heat filled Jongin’s cheeks and he ducked his head back down, trying to hide the blush he knew he was sporting.

“Anyway.” Baekhyun stood and stretched. “I have a few things I need to get done down in the shop. When you’re finished eating, just put your dishes in the sink and I’ll have Sehun take care of them later. The bathroom is right down the hall if you want to shower. There should be clean towels and washcloths in there.”

“Baekhyun!” Chanyeol called again. “One more thing!”

“Coming!” Baekhyun smiled at Jongin. “Will you be okay by yourself for a little while?”

Jongin nodded, giving a small but genuine smile back. Baekhyun was nice, nicer than the others he had met, and he felt safe around the brunet which was something he hadn’t felt in a while.

“Good. I’ll see you later, Jongin.” 

Then Baekhyun was gone, leaving Jongin to finish eating on his own, and the teen figured he’d take a look around the place as he ate to keep himself occupied. 

There was the kitchen he was currently sitting in, and the living room just through the arch to his left which was decorated with all manner of odd things. Curtains a deep scarlet color hung in front of the windows on the opposite side of the room, and the walls were a dark brown color, mirroring the wooden floors. Multiple doorways led to a whole variety of different rooms, but most of them were closed. The only one open seemed to be the bathroom door.

There was also the couch Jongin had woken up on before, and a whole plethora of bookshelves piled with books and papers and even what looked like scrolls. Then again, Jongin wasn’t exactly surprised by that last one. Scrolls probably weren’t a rarity in a witch coven.

It didn’t take Jongin long to finish the the omlette. He briefly thought about washing his dishes, but decided to just leave it. Sehun was a little shit anyway.

Sighing a little, Jongin headed to the bathroom, closing the door behind him so he could change. He caught sight of his reflection in the mirror as he stripped out of the stiff, itchy clothes from the day before, and he winced. He looked terrible: dark circles under his eyes, greasy unkempt hair, red rimmed eyes from the crying he had done before. It was enough to make him forget any doubt he’d had about using the coven’s resources so freely.

When he got in the shower, Jongin let out an almost pornographic moan at the feeling of the scalding water on his skin, relaxing the kinks in his shoulders. It felt nice to be able to unwind like this. Jongin had been so tense and worried since he’d left that this was the first chance he’d gotten to just take a moment for himself.

Thinking about all he’d left behind just made his chest ache, so he quickly pushed those thoughts away and focused on washing up. He wasn’t really sure if he was allowed to use the variety of shampoos and soaps in the shower, but he figured no one would mind if he just used a little, so he grabbed the first one he could reach and lathered up.

At some point, he thought he heard the door to he bathroom open and shut again, but he didn’t care enough to peek out and look. Someone had probably just come into grab something they needed.

Not wanting to take too long, Jongin exited the shower and quickly dried himself off using one of the clean towels sitting on the rack above the toilet. He felt clean and refreshed and better than he had in days. Tossing the towel over his shoulder, Jongin gave himself another once over in the mirror, definitely happier with what he saw this time around.

Then he realized that his clothes were gone.

Jongin frowned. That was weird. He’d set them down right there on top of the toilet. Now that he thought about it, though, someone _had_ come into the bathroom earlier; maybe they’d grabbed his clothes to wash them? In that case, they should have left him some more to change into when he was done. Perhaps they’d left them outside the door.

Jongin opened the door and peeked out into the hallway, but there was nothing there.

_Well, I can’t just stay in here without any clothes …_

With a sigh, Jongin wrapped his towel around his waist and crept out of the bathroom, hoping Baekhyun would show up to give him some clothes to change into. He really wanted to cover himself before anyone saw him.

Feeling anxious standing around in nothing but a towel, Jongin started shuffling down the hallways, looking around nervously. It seemed to be rather deserted. Jongin was just about to chance calling out when Kris—of all fucking people—rounded the corner and nearly ran right into him.

“Oh, sorry—” Kris began, but he paused when he realized Jongin was only in a towel and raised an eyebrow in obvious judgement.

Jongin flushed bright red.


	3. Alarte Ascendare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We were going to use actual wiccan spells for the chapter titles, but since real magic scares us and we don't want to accidentally hex anyone or anything, we're just going to cheat and use Harry Potter spells. 

  
There were a few moments of the most awkward silence Jongin had ever had the displeasure of suffering through before Kris broke it with a sigh, raising a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. 

“Let me guess: Sehun was supposed to bring you some clothes but he didn’t?”

Jongin blinked. “Um … I-I’m not sure. All I know is that the clothes I was wearing before are gone.”

Kris sighed again. “Alright. Follow me.” 

He walked off without giving Jongin a chance to respond, heading away from the bathroom and down another hallway. Jongin scrambled to catch up, clutching the towel around his waist. He didn’t think he’d ever live it down if it came off.

Surprisingly, Kris led him to the laundry room.

“There should be something clean in here I could let you borrow,” the taller man said. “Something of Sehun’s, preferably.”

“Oh, uh, thanks...” Jongin almost winced at how awkward he sounded, but he was still pretty terrified of the other man. 

Kris grunted in reply and said nothing more. 

Jongin stood there as Kris rifled through baskets of clean laundry, shivering slightly at the cold air against his damp skin and hair. He should have dried off properly before leaving the bathroom.

“Here you go,” Kris said finally, pulling out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. “These should do nicely.” He handed them over with a frown. “And … sorry, by the way.”

Jongin took the clothes with a look of confusion. “For what...?”

“For blowing up at you like I did before. Skepticism is something I have to deal with a lot; you’d think I should be used to it by now.” 

Jongin shook his head, guilt twisting his stomach. “No! No, oh my gosh, _I’m_ sorry. I was being childish snapping back at you when all you guys have done is help me.”

“Well, considering Chen is the first one of us you met, I can understand why you were on-edge.” Kris smiled a little. “I hope you understand that he’s literally a demon, by the way. That wasn’t a joke or an insult. He’s actually Hell incarnate.”

Jongin’s jaw slackened. He hadn’t thought they were serious, but for some reason, he wasn’t surprised. Letting out a soft groan, Jongin tucked the clothes under his arm and buried the hand not clutching his towel in his hair.

Kris grimaced. “I know this is a lot to take in …”

“No, I’m sorry, it’s just …” Jongin sighed heavily. “Look, things have been really ridiculous the past few days with me finally realizing I was... _different._ And then when my parents kicked me out, I just grabbed some of my stuff and boarded the bus without thinking and stopped at this random town. Then, as if it couldn’t get any fucking worse, it started piss pouring and I literally stumbled into your shop where a legitimate demon practically molested me and _oh my god I can’t believe I actually fainted._ And then I woke up to a bunch of weird strangers telling me all this shit about magick and wizards, and you’re just really hot and intimidating while scaring the absolute shit out of me, and then I started fucking crying and then this fucking Kyungsoo guy looks like he wants to murder me and eat the souls of children and this is all just _so much_.” Jongin sucked in a deep breath, flushing as he realized he had been rambling like an idiot the entire time.

“Wait,” Kris said slowly, “Back up. Did you say I was hot?”

Jongin once again felt a blush stain his cheeks and he huffed. “Is that all you got from everything I just said?”

“No, but it did kind of stand out to me.”

Not really knowing how to respond, Jongin just tugged at his hair and sighed. “Um, can I change now?”

“Oh, yeah.” Kris looked a little spaced out, as if his thoughts were somewhere else entirely. “Go ahead.”

Jongin  nodded and placed the shirt on the top of the dryer. He was about to discard his towel so he could put his pants on when he noticed that Kris was still facing him, expression impassive.

“Um,” Jongin said.

Kris blinked. “Yes?”

“Could you like ... turn around or something?” Jongin regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. He was probably about as red as a tomato at that point.

For a moment, Kris looked surprised. Then a small, knowing smirk slid across his lips and he nodded, turning to give Jongin some privacy.

Completely embarrassed and paranoid, Jongin turned around as well, quickly pulling on the dry clothes he’d been given. After checking to make sure he couldn’t shame himself any further, he turned to face Kris.

But Kris was already facing him.

Jongin spluttered and threw his arms around himself even though he was now fully clothed, as if it’d keep Kris from seeing what he already saw. His face went even redder before—something he hadn’t previously thought possible—and Kris smirked.

“Come on,” he said, grinning, “Let’s go rejoin the others downstairs. I’m sure Baekhyun will have a few choice words for Sehun when he found out the brat forgot to get you extra clothes.”

Jongin didn’t respond and followed the man out, wishing the floor would just swallow him up already. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to feel embarrassed or complimented. Kris had been checking him out—in a really super obvious way—and Kris was hot. Jongin had noticed that the first time he’d met the blond. 

At the same time, Kris had just seen him naked without his consent, and Jongin was pretty sure that was something to feel embarrassed and upset about.

Neither of them said anything as they headed downstairs. Jongin could hear the voices of a few people: it sounded like Baekhyun and Chen. Great. Jongin definitely wanted to see Chen again, especially now that he knew what the guy really was.

Baekhyun and Chen were bickering when they finally reached the shop. The demon sat on the sales counter, swinging his legs back and forth. Baekhyun had a box filled with what looked like perfume bottles.

“—I can understand why you were screaming,” Chen was saying when they walked in, “I mean, I’d scream too if I let someone fuck me that hard.”

Kris froze. Jongin went red again.

“Oh my God, Chen, we were _not_ having sex!” Baekhyun protested.

“Well it sure sounded like it to meee.”

“Baekhyun.” Kris’s deep voice garnered their attention. “What’s going on?”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes and sighed. “Chen’s being his usual shitty self.”

Chen just grinned.

Sehun chose to walk in at that moment, entering through the shop’s front door with two large paper bags in his arms. “Hey, Baek, they were all out of lemon grass at the market but they said they were getting a shipment on Thursday.”

“Sehun,” Kris interrupted, gesturing at Jongin, “I think you forgot something.” 

Sehun blinked at Jongin for a moment before narrowing his eyes. “Those are my clothes.”

“Yes. And where, pray tell, are Jongin’s?”

“In the laundry hamper where Baekhyun told me to put the-- _oh_ , woops. I totally forgot to give him something else to wear.” Sehun had the decency to look slightly sorry, but definitely more amused than anything. “Sorry, man.”

Jongin shrugged a little in response. He wasn’t sure what to say, especially after Sehun’s carelessness had led to him wandering around in a towel for a few minutes, getting seen in said towel by Kris, and then getting checked out by Kris while changing. Part of him wanted to hit the little shit while the other part wanted to thank him. It was very confusing.

Kris sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “Just try to make sure something like that doesn’t happen again, alright?”

“Whatever you say, lord crispy breath.”

A group of middle-aged looking women flittered into the shop just then and Baekhyun took the paper bags from Sehun. “Alright children, play time is over. Sehun, can you finish labeling these potions?” He threw a look at the women who were giggling over the bottles clearly labeled _Love Potions._ “I have a feeling we’re going to need to restock soon.”

Jongin blinked and sidled closer to Baekhyun, even more confused than before. “Baekhyun, I thought you said you guys didn’t sell real magickal items in the shop?”

Baekhyun smiled. “We don’t. Those are all fake, just some watered down perfume we mixed with a few herbs. The entire store front is a gimmick. The funniest part is that most people know that and buy things anyway.” He shook his head and slipped through the door behind the counter, into the back of the shop.

Kris cleared his throat, running his fingers through his slightly-mussed hair. “Right, well I’m going to go visit Yixing. He came across a traveling coven that were selling some rare, blessed jewelry and might have found a few things for me.” Kris made his way to the front door, plucking a dark trenchcoat off the coat rack on the way. “Baek, do we need anything from Yixing?”

“Agrimony and burdock, if he has any!”

“Got it. I’ll return before sundown.” Kris gave Jongin a wry smile, saluted Sehun, then slipped out the front door. 

“Well,” Jongin said in his wake.

Baekhyun poked his head out of the back. “Kris does that a lot. He might own the shop, but he usually prefers to let us run it while he goes off on errands and whatnot.”

Sehun grumbled, scrawling the name of another witty magick pun onto a faux potion bottle in surprisingly elegant writing. “Which basically means that we have to do all the work while he goes and flirts with George of the Jungle. Lazy reptile.”

“George of the Jungle?” Jongin echoed.

“He means Yixing.” Baekhyun disappeared into the back again, leaving Jongin with Sehun. 

Sehun didn’t seem very talkative, though, so Jongin figured he’d find something else to do. He ended up just wandering around the shop, glancing at all the dumb, punny names labeled across various leather-bound books and bottles of incense and herbs. He even found a fucking box full of fake wands.

Customers came and went throughout the day, usually in groups of kids who dared each other to venture into the shop or older women who mostly bought candles and organic health and beauty supplies. At one point, a very old looking couple came in and directly went to Baekhyun who disappeared through the door behind the counter, only to reappear moments later with a package wrapped in partchment. Whatever it was, it smelled very sweet and wafted over towards Jongin, who was sitting on a stool flipping through one of the “spellbooks” by the window. It made his mouth water and the teen wanted to know what it was, but he didn’t think it was his place to ask. 

Baekhyun must have sensed his curiosity, because he spoke up from where he was counting the money in the till. “What they just bought is called ambrosia. Very rare, _very_ expensive.” 

Jongin frowned. “But I didn’t see them pay you. Did they pay in advance?”

Baekhyun shook his head, closing the drawer. “Ambrosia is a blessing and a curse. Taking even one, tiny bite can give you eternal life. But it comes at a great price. When you start eating ambrosia, it’s the only thing you can ever eat. Food and drink will taste like ash in your mouth. And if stop eating it, no matter how old you are, you will die.” He shrugged. “Also, immortality in itself is its own punishment.”

“Oh …” Jongin stared after the couple. “That seems so … sad.”

“It is. But with modern times, most people have learned how to cheat it a little by mixing the ambrosia with teas and baking it into things so it’s not as bad.” Baekhyun leaned forward and placed his arms arms on the counter, staring wistfully at the door. “Those two were young lovers who wanted an eternity with each other, but they didn’t realize exactly how high the price was.”

“Magick seems kind of dangerous,” Jongin mumbled, his eyes on the floor.

Baekhyun nodded. “It can be, yes. But everything in life is give and take; that includes magick. The more you use, the more it draws from you. Many witches and magick users alike have died from over exerting themselves, but most know to play it safe nowadays.” Baekhyun walked out from behind the counter and over to Jongin, sitting down on a stool next to him and gently taking the book he still held in his lap. “Magick is nothing to be afraid of. It’s the user that determines its use, so if you learn to control it—if your intention is to use it for good—then only good can come from it.”

“I know.” Jongin thought of his parents, of the strange things that had always happened around him, and sighed. “I know, I just … I feel so unprepared. I hardly know anything at all except for what I looked up on Wikipedia pages and wiccan websites.”

Baekhyun laughed and bumped his shoulder against Jongin’s. “Well, we can definitely teach you a little more than Wiki did. And …” He hesitated, his eyebrows drawing together. “Jongin, I hope you know that you _can_ stay here with us. I mean, if you want to. We could teach you how to completely manifest and control your abilities.” 

Baekhyun sounded completely genuine and honestly concerned for the younger man, and Jongin felt a small tug at his heart.

“I … I don’t know,” he said after a moment. “I mean, this—this magick is what caused me to get kicked out of my parents’ house in the first place, and I don’t think I’m ready to embrace it quite yet.” He shook his head. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready.”

“I think you will be.You’ve got a lot of power inside of you, Jongin. All of us can feel it. And I know you might not believe it now, but destiny _did_ bring you here and I think it’s because you were meant to do great things.” Baekhyun smiled wistfully. “Of course, it is entirely up to you whether or not to accomplish those great things, but whatever decision you make, you can stay here for as long as you need.”

Jongin swallowed hard. After all that had happened, Baekhyun’s kindness was welcome and overwhelming all at once. Jongin didn’t really know how to respond, so he just settled for a mumbled “thank you” that didn’t feel like anywhere near enough.

“If you guys are done with your gay moment,” Sehun said, emerging from behind the counter with an armful of freshly-labeled inventory, “Do you think you could help me put these away?”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes and got up, sauntering his way over to the slender male. “Like you’re one to talk, _Thehun_.”

Jongin watched in confusion as Sehun’s face went completely red and Baekhyun laughed, answering Jongin’s question before he could ask it. 

“Sehun used to have a _huge_ lisp—”

“It wasn’t huge!” Sehun whined, his hysteria revealing the slight slurr to his words, and Baekhyun began snickering. 

“It shows when he gets upset. Feel free to tease him mercilessly about it, Jongin. We all do.” 

Sehun whined once more,  letting his forehead thunk onto the counter. “You’re _terrible_.”

“Only because you act like a little cunt nugget~”

Jongin spluttered in response, putting a hand over his mouth to quiet his laughter. But Chen—who’d appeared out of fucking nowhere—held no such qualms as he leaned against the wall next to the counter, cackling wickedly.

“I hate all of you,” Sehun mumbled under his breath.

 

 

Kyungsoo and Baekhyun cooked dinner together that night. It wasn’t anything much since the only ones there were the two of them, Jongin, Sehun, and Chanyeol. 

Jongin, however, was honestly scared to eat what Kyungsoo had cooked. A part of him was quite sure there would be human body parts in it, but he managed to take a few bites anyway, and it was actually okay. In fact, Jongin had seconds.

Chen didn’t eat human food, so he just sat in the corner and made snarky comments. 

“Oh.” Kyungsoo straightened a little in his chair, his eyes glassy. “Kris is back.”

When Kris came up the stairs, Chen quieted down immediately, sinking into a sulky silence. Jongin wondered how the blond had so much control over Chen when he seemed like such a volatile creature. 

Jongin noticed then that there was an unfamiliar man trailing behind Kris, one everybody greeted casually. 

“Jongin, this is Joonmyun,” Chanyeol said. “Joonmyun, meet—”

“It’s okay,” Kris interrupted. “I already filled Joonmyun in on everything that happened.”

“Oh.”

“Joonmyun is better known as Suho the Sensational, though,” Sehun added. “He’s a magician.”

Jongin’s eyes widened. “A magician? Like, a magician who pulls a rabbit out of a hat and does card tricks?”

Joonmyun smiled. “Sort of.”

Baekhyun lit up, poking Joonmyun’s arm. “Hey, why don’t you give Jongin a little demontration? He hasn’t seen any real magick since he’s gotten here.”

Jongin blinked, confused. Nothing about these people made any sense. They had fake magickal items in the front, an alchemist in the back making who-knew-what, demons and serial killers and illusionists and scaly, fiery creatures and now a fucking magician too. This was definitely not what Jongin had expected out of a witch coven. “Um, a demonstration?” he wondered.

Joonmyun took off his coat with a smile. “Yeah, sure. I’m not too tired; I can work up a little something.”

They all gathered into the living room so Joonmyun would have more space to work. Jongin sat on the couch squished in between Chanyeol and Sehun. Baekhyun sat on floor in front of them, Kyungsoo draped himself over the arm of the couch, Kris sat in one of the recliners, and Chen stood in the corner.

“Okay.” Joonmyun pulled a deck of cards from his pocket and fanned them out. “Pick a card, Jongin, any card.”

Jongin laughed at first, only to realize when no one else laughed along that it wasn’t a joke. Joonmyun was completely serious. 

_A card trick? Really?_

Unsure, Jongin reached out and plucked out a card from somewhere left of the center, holding it to his chest after he’d taken a peek. Jack of Spades.

Joonmyun smiled and cut the deck. “Have it memorized? When you do, put it back in the center of the deck.”

The card was easy enough to remember. Jongin stuck it back in the deck without a second thought, watching as Joonmyun shuffled it a few times and then cupped it in both hands so it was completely hidden from sight. 

When Joonmyun pulled his hand away moments later, the deck was gone.

Jongin’s eyes widened. “What? How did you—?”

“Look up,” Joonmyun said.

Confused, Jongin looked where the older male was pointing, his eyes going wide when he saw that the deck of cards was spread out all along the ceiling. Only one card was face-up, however. The Jack of Spades.

“Is that your card?” Joonmyun asked cheekily.

The look on Jongin’s face seemed to be enough of an answer because Joonmyun grinned and the rest of the others laughed lightheartedly at his astonishment. Once they’d quieted down, Joonmyun raised his hand, snapping his fingers dramatically. The cards burst into confetti in response, all except Jongin’s Jack of Spades, which floated down to alight on Joonmyun’s finger and promptly morph into a tiny hummingbird.

Jongin sucked in a gasp, staring at the bird in awe. It was a real, living hummingbird that sat calmly on Joonmyun’s pointer finger, head tilting curiously in all directions. It was adorable and should have been completely impossible.

When Joonmyun waved his hand again, the bird was gone and the deck of cards was perfectly reformed in the palm of his hand. He bowed theatrically and threw Jongin a smile. “How’s that for magick?”

Speechless, Jongin just started clapping. He was soon followed by everyone else and another chorus of laughs. From the side, Baekhyun watched Jongin very carefully.

“Okay, everyone, let’s get this cleaned up,” Kris said. “We should probably head to bed. I know you all have a lot to do tomorrow.”

“You haven’t eaten yet,” Joonmyun protested. He had what looked like a granola bar in his hand that hadn’t been there before. Jongin wondered if he’d conjured it out of mid-air; that didn’t seem so impossible after what he’d just witnessed.

Kris shrugged. “I’m not hungry.”

Jongin had figured out at this point that Kris was the unofficial, unnamed leader everyone just followed anyway, so it didn’t surprise him when the rest of the coven did what they were told and began straightening up. Jongin wanted to help, but he felt like he’d just get in the way.

When the kitchen was clean and everyone seemed adequately satisfied, Sehun (surprisingly) said goodnight first. Then everyone branched off to go to their separate rooms, leaving Baekhyun and Jongin the only ones who hadn’t cleared out yet.

Baekhyun gestured for Jongin to follow him. “We have a spare bedroom set up for you to sleep in,” he said, leading Jongin down the leftmost hallway to a door at the very end. “Your clothes are clean and dry, including the ones that you had in your backpack that were soaked by the storm. They’re sitting on the dresser.”

“Oh. Thanks.” Jongin paused just before walking into the room. “Hey, uh, Baekhyun?”

“Yeah?”

Jongin swallowed hard. His mouth was dry. “I think … I think I want to stay.”


	4. Magnum Opus

  
  
“You’re not part of the coven yet, you know,” Kris said. “Just because you’re staying doesn’t mean you’re officially a member. That will come later … if joining the coven is even something you want.”

“Maybe in time,” Jongin replied, fidgeting slightly under the gaze of everybody in the room.

The morning after Jongin told Baekhyun he wanted to stay, Kris had gathered everyone together for an impromptu coven meeting so they could all welcome Jongin and, apparently, so Kris could clarify a few things.

Such as the fact that Jongin wasn’t actually part of the coven yet.

“I just wanted to make that clear.” Kris leaned back against the couch he was resting on, crossing his legs in a way that seemed haughty to Jongin. “If anyone else wants to say anything to Jongin—welcome him or whatnot—do so now and then go. I’m sure you all have your individual duties to attent to.”

An unfamiliar man with light, reddish-brown hair stepped forward, looking a little nervous. “Well, I’d like to introduce myself.” He held out his hand with a smile. “I’m Minseok.”

Jongin took the proffered hand and shook it, returning the smile. “Hi. I’m sure you already know, but I’m Kim Jongin.”

“It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.”

Minseok stepped back and Jongin suddenly noticed the Siamese cat curling around Sehun’s legs, meowing softly. He frowned. “There’s a cat.”

Sehun shot him a _no shit_ look while the cat just sat there, staring at him.

“Oh, that’s Tao,” Baekhyun said simply, as if it were explanation enough. 

Jongin heaved a sigh, figuring that it was easier not to ask. It seemed like everyone kind of expected him to know what was going on. Considering the fact that Jongin had only just learned about magick in the past few weeks or so, he thought they’d understand that he often needed them to explain things better.

Obviously, they didn’t.

But that wasn’t the most pressing matter on Jongin’s mind at the moment.

“Um … Kris?”

Kris glanced at Jongin, one eyebrow raised. “Yes?”

Jongin hesitated, not really knowing how to say exactly hat he was thinking. “Well, um ... like I said, I’m not really sure if I’m going to join you guys or not. It’s nice that you’re letting me stay, but I don’t know if I want to for the rest of my life.” He paused, watching Kris’ face closely for any hint of anger or any other emotion just as dangerous. “But I also don’t know much about ... well, about anything. I spent all my time and energy learning what I am and the possibilities of what I can do. I even sacrificed my being with my family for it.” 

The memories of his parents’ disgusted faces flashed through his mind’s eye and he clenched his fists to try and stay focused, dropping his gaze to the ground and forcing himself to breathe evenly. He wouldn’t cry over them. Not anymore.

“Even with all I’ve learned,” Jongin continued, “I still don’t know enough to make any of it worth it. So I was wondering if you guys could maybe help me?” Jongin looked up again and met Kris’ gaze, embarrassed at the obvious plea in his words.

Kris stared at him for a few moments, expressionless. He seemed to be deep in thought. Then he smiled out of nowhere, catching Jongin off guard. He’d never seen Kris smile before.

“I think that’d be a good idea,” Kris said, “Especially if you ever plan on leaving; I wouldn’t want you to go out into the world on your own without knowing how to use your abilities.”

Jongin nodded, relief flooding through him. “Exactly, I don’t even know what I _can_ do, let alone try and control it.”

“So, I’ll take it you don’t know what your affinity is?”

Jongin blinked at him.

“Apparently not.” Kris sighed. “Magick-users can harness all types of magick, but they will all have certain affinities. For example, Chanyeol’s affinity is alchemy and Joonmyun’s affinity has to do with illusion magicks. A magick-user’s affinity is the area they prefer over all others. We need to find out what yours is so we can train you in that area. Understand?”

“Oh.” That made sense to Jongin somehow and he nodded. “But how do I find out what it is? Is there some sort of spell or test or something?”

“No. In order to find out, you’ll have to train with a variety of magicks to see which appeals to you. Seeing as we have a plethora of options here, what with everyone’s affinities being so diverse, I’m sure we’ll figure out your place in no time.”

Jongin nodded once more and looked at everyone around the room. They were all probably really wise and powerful; in that moment, Jongin felt small. A novice in a room of veterans. And even though he knew he probably should have been put off by it, that realization only served to excite him. These great people were going to teach him and help him develop a part of himself that had been taken away from him. 

The thought caused his lips to stretch in a wide grin, and he didn’t know if it was because Baekhyun was sitting so close or not, but tears prickled at the corners of his eyes.

“Who should Jongin start learning with, though?” Baekhyun wondered.

“Me!” Chanyeol raised his hand, a huge grin lighting up his features. He was hopping up and down like an over-excited toddler. “I want to teach him first!”

A chorus of complaints filled the room almost instantly and Chanyeol deflated like a popped balloon, his arm still up in the air but with much less enthusiasm. 

“What?” Sehun scoffed. “Let Doctor Frankenstein get his hands on him first, and there won’t be enough Jongin to go around afterwards.” 

Chen piped up. “I agree. Our resident insane alchemist might accidentally blow Jongin up like he so often blows up everything else.”

Chanyeol looked like a kicked puppy.

“Hey, hey, guys,” Baekhyun interjected, “Come on. Chanyeol is very capable and an amazing alchemist. So what if he makes mistakes sometimes? We all do.”

“You’re only defending him because you’re sleeping with him,” Chen retorted.

“Enough!” Kris snapped, his eyes flashing.

The room went quiet and Chanyeol still stood there, sulking. 

“Actually, I’d really like to learn from Chanyeol first,” Jongin said, breaking the silence. “I read up on Alchemy a little and it sounds amazing. Besides, I trust Chanyeol not to blow me up.” Jongin smiled at Chanyeol, to which he got the biggest, goofiest, and all around heart-warming grin he had ever seen. It practically split the taller man’s face, and Jongin knew he’d made the right decision. The excited look Chanyeol threw Baekhyun, who was also smiling, was an added bonus. 

Kris stood and placed a hand on his hip. “Well, you heard him. Chanyeol’s first, and if that doesn’t work out then we’ll see who gets him from there. In the meantime, I don’t want any distractions, okay? You all know how dangerous interrupting spiritual growth is.” He looked between Chanyeol and Jongin. “It’s still pretty early in the day, so you two could get started now if you wish.”

“Yes!” Chanyeol looked so excited. He ran up and grabbed both of Jongin’s hands, bouncing on his toes. “This is going to be great! I’ve never gotten the chance to teach someone alchemy before, but I’ve always wanted to try. I’ll do my best to teach you well!”

Jongin laughed.

From the side, Sehun rolled his eyes and got to his feet. “Right. If we’re done here, I’m going to visit Yixing today. Baek, do you need anything?”

“Not that I know of,” Baekhyun said, looking a bit put off.

Sehun nodded and left, Tao trailing behind him elegantly. Everyone else seemed to take that as a cue to leave as well and began filing out, giving Jongin pats on the back and words of encouragement.

“Okay,” Chanyeol said once they were all gone, obviously trying to calm himself down a little, “Let’s go down to my lab then, shall we? I can give you a brief overview of alchemy and introduce you to the core substances.”

“Sounds good,” Jongin replied, not feeling as confident as he sounded but relieved that he was starting with something a little less out-of-this-world than what the others would teach him. Alchemy was basically science, right?

Chanyeol led the way down the spiral staircase to the first floor. Once they were in the hallway, Jongin expected them to go out towards the front of the shop to get to his lab, but instead they just took a sharp right and went through a different door in the hallway. Then they were in Chanyeol’s lab, and Jongin heard himself gasp audibly at the sight that met his eyes.

It was _huge._

The cement floor beneath Jongin’s shoes was covered in chalk circles, all of varying sizes and designs. Bookshelves of every shape dotted the room here and there, piled high with tomes and books that looked ancient, and long wooden tables lined the walls, covered in all manner of beakers and burners and ingredients that weren’t in the least bit familiar.

In the middle of the room was the largest table. There were a few beakers on it too, but they were all full of steaming, bubbling liquids that spit sparks and odd colors. Books were strewn out across the table, propped open on whatever recipe Chanyeol had been working on. Jongin could also see that there were quite a few burn marks on the table’s top.

It looked like the lab of a mad scientist from a movie, and now Jongin understood why Sehun had called Chanyeol Dr. Frankenstein. 

The taller man donned a lab coat while Jongin inspected the lab and was now standing in the center, arms spread out at his sides and his trademark grin on his face. “Tadaaaa.”

Jongin laughed. “It’s pretty awesome.”

That seemed like an understatement even to him, though. The lab was amazing and Jongin felt a bit overwhelmed. Before, he’d thought alchemy would be easy because it was just science infused with magick, but now he knew that he’d been wrong. Alchemy looked extremely complicated. How was Chanyeol going to teach him all of this?

Seemingly reading his mind, Chanyeol clapped his hands together, obviously excited for their lesson. “Let’s start from the basics, shall we?”

“Um, yeah, sure.” Jongin frowned. “Where would that be?”

“Well, like I said before, I’ll just give you a brief overview of alchemy and its history, mainly because so many people have very limited knowledge of alchemy. They all think of the old philosopher mixing ingredients to try and create the fabled sorcerer’s stone, right? In reality, however, alchemy is an early form of chemical technology. It’s magick infused with science, yes, but it takes it to the next level and explores the nature of substances as well. It’s not just equivalent exchange and people trying to change lead into gold; one of the main points of alchemy is learning man’s place in the universe and discovering more about said universe. Understand?”

Jongin felt very overwhelmed now. _No_. “Uhh ... yeah.”

Chanyeol smiled. “Sorry, I know this must be really new to you. Let me … uh … let me try and reword this in a way that’s a lot less philosophical.” He put a finger to his chin, frowning in thought. “Well, to put it simply, what most people call science, I call magick. That’s a very, very basic description of alchemy though, since the art itself is multifaceted and extremely ancient.”

Jongin nodded, relieved that Chanyeol knew to dumb it down for him. “Where do I start learning, then, if it’s that ancient?”

Chanyeol smiled. “Don’t worry. I know just where to begin.”

As the hours passed, Chanyeol imbued Jongin with what he called _the knowledge of the universe_. He got so excited as he spoke, waving his arms about and whatnot. He showed Jongin a few transmuation circles and what they were for. He talked off forbidden alchemical practices and of how so many people over the years had broken their laws and paid for them. He started to tell Jongin about all the different elements, only to reconsider and tell Jongin he’d learn all those later.

“There are a lot of elements,” Chanyeol said with a long-suffering sigh, “And the list grows ever-longer every day. There are always more elements being discovered, every hour—every minute, even!”

“That makes sense.” Jongin had learned about discovering new elements in his high-school Chemistry class. “By the way, it seems like you know a lot about alchemy considering how young you are. How long have you been studying it?” 

Chanyeol had been right before when he’d said that people imagined alchemists to be super nerdy old guys. Chanyeol—who was lanky, covered in tattoos, at least six feet tall, and not looking a day over twenty—didn’t exactly fit the description. It made Jongin curious, to say the least.

“Oh, a while,” Chanyeol said with a grin. “I mean, both my parents were involved in alchemy, so I grew up learning it. If I remember the date correctly, that was early 16th century … I think.”

Jongin blinked.

_What._

“What?”

Chanyeol stared at him. “What?”

Jongin stared back incredulously. “You were born in the _16th century?_ Chanyeol that would make you like six hundred years old.”

“Yes.”

Jongin stood there, staring at Chanyeol, hoping that the other would laugh and tell him he was joking. But after a couple minutes of the taller male just blinking back at him, Jongin felt a headache coming on. “I-I think I need to sit down.”

“What? Why? Are you okay? Are you sick?” Chanyeol rushed over to grab one of the bubbling beakers off the table and held it out to Jongin. “Here, this will make you feel better.”

Jongin eyed the steaming, yellow-ish liquid suspiciously. “Um, what is it?”

“Tea.”

Chanyeol had said it as if were obvious, as if he wasn’t some weird, six hundred year old mad scientist with beakers and cauldrons full of God knows what lying around his laboratory, as if Jongin shouldn’t be questioning whether or not what Chanyeol was offering him to drink was safe.

Sighing, Jongin took the beaker and sipped at it, happy that it was, in fact, tea. Better yet, it was Chamomile. His favourite.

“I always have a pot of tea brewing,” Chanyeol said cheerfully. “And I’m pretty sure I didn’t put any barium in that one.”

Jongin nodded, swallowing another mouthful. “To be completely honest, I have no idea what barium is. I may or may have slept through chemistry.”

Chanyeol sighed a little. “Jongin, you’re not … you’re not really interested in alchemy, are you?”

_Woops. Saw right through me._

Jongin gave Chanyeol a sheepish smile and set the beaker down on the table behind him. “Sorry, I guess I’m not very convincing, am I?”

“Not at all.” Chanyeol smiled. “It’s okay, I understand. But hey, even if alchemy’s not your affinity, I can still teach you a few things if you’d like? It is a really amazing art.”

“Thanks, Chanyeol. I’d really like that.” Jongin smiled back, hoping the other could hear the sincerity in his words.

Chanyeol just grinned, running a hand through his red hair. “I suppose we should call it a day, then. We can tell Kris that alchemy isn’t your affinity, and then you can work with someone else tomorrow.”

Kris. 

Yet another unknown in this world that Jongin had entered. He was slowly learning about the other members of the coven, and he knew that he would only become closer to them through this training, but he didn’t think Kris was one to spill out his entire past. Still, the other members had to know about him, right? 

“Yeah,” Jongin said slowly. “Uh, by the way, Chanyeol, how did you meet Kris anyway?”

Chanyeol blinked. “Oh, um, that’s kind of a long story.”

Jongin shrugged, leaning back against the table. “I’ve got time.”

“Well … I suppose I should start from the beginning.” Chanyeol suddenly pulled two stools out from under one of the tables. “Here, sit. Like I said, this will take a while.”

Jongin got himself situated, watching Chanyeol intently. The redhead appeared to be deep in thought. Then he smiled and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

“When I was born,” Chanyeol began, “Alchemy was considered to be a very sophisticated art by many. It was practiced in countries all over the world as a form of bringing humanity closer to the earth and its elements. It was even more popular than Druidry at that time in Europe, though Yixing would tell you otherwise. But anyway, that’s beside the point. My parents were both Masters. They taught me alchemy from the moment I could speak. By the time I was five, I could recite all the currently known elements by heart.

“But here’s where the story gets sad. My parents were somewhat paranoid, so we moved around a lot. When I was fifteen, I’d already lived in so many different places that I’d forgotten the country of my birth. I still can’t remember.” He shook his head. “As it turns out, the reason we moved around so much was because of the witch trials.”

“Like …” Jongin blinked. “Like the Salem witch trials?”

“Well, no, not exactly. Those were in Massachusetts. This was just in general. At that time, the majority of the world had started to accept the belief that anything non-Christian was witchcraft, and that included alchemy. My parents were determined to keep us safe, but all it took was one slip-up—one day my mother forgot to put up the wards around our house, and everything we owned, everything we’d cared for, was gone in an instant.”

“What happened?” Jongin asked softly. From what Chanyeol had already told him, Jongin had an idea of what happened, but he hoped that he was wrong. The look on Chanyeol’s face, however, told him that wasn’t the case.

“They were tried as witches, found guilty, and burned at the stake.”

Jongin could feel his heart shattering in his chest as he stared at the man in front of him. He thought that he’d had it rough, being kicked out by his own parents and all, but Jongin couldn’t even imagine the pain Chanyeol must have gone through. “Chanyeol ...” he started, not really knowing what to say.

Chanyeol shook his head. “It’s okay. It was a long time ago, and I’ve moved on. I’m done blaming myself. Besides,” he managed a small smile, “I have so much to look forward to now, and it’s all thanks to Kris. I ran into him in the early twenty century, around the time I’d actually made a good living for myself working in an apothecary, and he took me in. Without him, I would never have gotten this far.”

Jongin wanted to press further but decided against it. This wasn’t the time for his curiosity to get the better of him. “That’s good. I’m really happy for you, Chanyeol.”

“Yeah, I owe Kris a lot.” Chanyeol jumped to his feet. “You know, he’s the reason I got all these tattoos?” He pointed at the ink visible on his wrists, arms, and neck.

Jongin was startled at the sudden change of attitude and he couldn’t help but laugh. “Really?”

“Yep! Kris was the one who originally suggested it. Honestly, though, it was less a suggestion and more a snide comment because I kept forgetting some of the elements and their symbols—I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there are a lot more now than there were in the 1500s. Anyway, it turned out to be a really great idea. I have them all over my body now. Want to see?”

 _One mystery solved at a time, I guess._ Jongin thought amusedly, nodding.

Chanyeol quickly shrugged off his lab coat and then pulled his shirt over his head before Jongin could say anything, revealing the massive amount of tattoos coating his skin. They weren’t just on his neck and arms, they were all along his chest and back too, curling around his biceps and along his shoulder blades.

Jongin stared in awe, standing up and moving forward to get a closer look. He recognized a lot of the symbols as Wiccan runes and he assumed the ones he didn’t know were probably alchemic. They were different from any other tattoos he’d seen; they were completely flat against Chanyeol’s skin. 

Jongin reached out without thinking, brushing his fingers over one on the redhead’s left pectoral, right where his heart should be. Jongin vaguely remembered that it meant “protection”. The skin, to his surprise, was smooth. Even though it was only black ink, the skin should have been raised slightly and scarred from the needle, but it was almost like the symbols were a part of him.

It was so fascinating. Coupled with the fact that Chanyeol had a body sculpted by the god’s themselves, and Jongin felt drawn towards them. He didn’t even realize how close he had gotten to Chanyeol until he felt the slightly taller man’s breath against his cheek and he stepped away quickly, his face burning at the knowing smirk planted on Chanyeol’s lips. 

“They’re cool,” he said, clearing his throat. “Is that all of them?”

“No. There are a few more. Here.” Chanyeol unbuttoned his pants, moving to pull them down.

“Whoa, wait, no—hold on!” Jongin sputtered, stopping Chanyeol as he was about to yank his pants down his thighs. “Um, it’s alright. I’m not _that_ curious.”

Chanyeol blinked. “You don’t want to see them?”

“Yes, I do. But isn’t there a way you can show me without taking your pants off?”

“Oh,” Chanyeol said, as if he’d forgotten there were multiple options. “Oh, yeah.” He bent and pulled up his left pant leg, turning to show Jongin a line of tattoos going up the back of his leg that seemed to continue all the way up his thigh. “There we go; these are all the different symbols for silver.”

Jongin crouched down to get a better look, gasping when the tattoos caught the light and glinted. There was something different about them, a pearlescent sheen that made them shimmer. Jongin looked up at Chanyeol, the question clear on his face.

“Oh, I embedded the different silvers in the ink,” Chanyeol explained.

Jongin looked back down at them, trailing his fingers along the inked skin once more. “That’s so fucking cool.”

Chanyeol laughed a little. “Thanks. Those were kind of hard to do because I had to twist around awkwardly in order to jinx the ink into my skin in the right place. But it was worth it.”

“Jinx?”

“Yeah. Real tattoos fade and hurt to apply, so I use alchemical transmutation techniques to jinx the ink onto my skin. It’s a lot more permanent than a tattoo would ever be.”

“I probably sound like a broken record but that is _really fucking cool_.”

Chanyeol grinned. “I’m glad you think so! It took me a while to actually figure out how to do it. You have to take so many variables into consideration when working with jinxes like that. Oh, and for future reference, if you ever wanted a tattoo, I could give you a painless permanent one for free.”

Jongin nodded excitedly. “Holy crap, _yes_. Does is have to be a magick symbol or can it be anything?”

“It can be anything!”

“Awesome.”

Chanyeol pulled his shirt back on, ruffling his hair a bit in an attempt to fix it that only made it messier. “Well, you should probably get something to eat and go to bed. You look tired.” He moved over to his desk, grabbing a few ingredients and carefully measuring them into another beaker. “Oh, and if you see Baekhyun, could you tell him I need him for something?”

“Yeah, of course. Goodnight, Chanyeol, and thanks.” Jongin smiled and waved at the alchemist before exiting the room and making his way upstairs. It wasn’t until he passed Baekhyun on his way to the kitchen, and saw the blush that spread across the older man’s face when he relayed Chanyeol’s message, that Jongin got what the alchemist had meant.

Jongin tried not to think about that—really tried not to think of Chanyeol and Baekhyun—and instead busied himself with trying to find something to eat before he turned in for the night.

Laying in bed on the second floor of a wiccan shop run by an all male coven of actual witches for the second night in a row after finishing a lesson on alchemy with a six hundred year old year old man that looked barely twenty, Jongin finally felt as if his life was coming together. As nuts as it all was, it felt right. And even with every new bizarre thing that was thrown his way, it was like puzzle pieces clicking together, making him feel more complete with everything he learned about this world that had been kept from him. 

 _Maybe it_ was _fate._ He thought idly, pulling the covers up to his chin and letting the warmth seep into his bones. _Maybe Kris was right and I was supposed to end up here._

He still wanted to know more about Kris, though—he wanted to know everything, actually, and Jongin wondered if he would have to go through every member of the coven to try and piece together his story. He also wondered if Kris would get angry if he found out Jongin was asking about him. Either way, Jongin had a feeling it would be totally worth it.

Jongin fell asleep thinking of alchemy and Kris and witch trials.

 


	5. Thistle and Gooseberries

 

 

When Jongin woke up from one of the best sleeps he could ever remember having and stumbled into the kitchen, he was immediately accosted by Baekhyun. Still in his pajamas and a bagel shoved into his hand, he was led downstairs and into Chanyeol's lab where he and Baekhyun were greeted cheerily by its owner. 

“Hey, Yeol, I'm going to use the lab for Jongin's training today,” Baekhyun said.

“Oh.” Chanyeol smiled. “I am okay with that. Just remember not to use that table we used last night. I still haven’t cleaned it.”

Jongin promptly choked on a bite of bagel, and Baekhyun rolled his eyes so hard you could almost hear them moving in their sockets, but the tinge of red staining the small brunet's cheeks was enough to tell Jongin that it wasn't a joke.

Chanyeol just grinned.

“Anyway,” Baekhyun said, clearing his throat, “Let’s move on with it. Chanyeol, please try not to blow anything up while we’re in here, okay? I’m trying to teach Jongin, not scare the shit out of him.”

“Roger that.”

“Idiot.”

"So," Jongin cut in, eyeing the two who were having their own stare down. "What will you be teaching me? How to like, amplify feelings and stuff like you do?"

Baekhyun gave Chanyeol a wink and looked back towards Jongin. “Oh, no. That’s a power I was born with. I can’t really teach you that. What I’m going to teach you is how to use glamour.”

Jongin nodded. He knew a little bit about glamours already, but not enough to say he was an expert. 

“Now, glamours aren’t all that difficult. Mostly they’re used for deception. The Fae are masters of it for this reason; without glamours, they wouldn’t be able to cross over from Tír na nÓg. It’s used as kind of filter, and it’s less illusion magic than it is a psychological suggestion. Understand?”

This time Jongin really did understand; as crazy as it sounded, it was a lot less confusing than what Chanyeol was trying to teach him yesterday. "Is that why I'm seeing both you and Joonmyun? Because they're different?"

“Yes! Exactly. Joonmyun’s illusions are just that. Glamours work on taking people’s blind spots and making them see something else, something that’s not really there.”

"Is there anyway you can look past a glamour?"

“If you’ve been trained to recognize the signs, yes. Most magick-users will just know the basics of glamours, but for the more seasoned users, they’ll be able to tell when they are being glamoured and how to look past it.” Baekhyun put a finger to his chin. “To put it in less-confusing terms, think of a card trick you’ve seen before. It maybe have been really simple, but it still probably impressed you the first time you saw it, right? Then as you continued to see it more often, you were able to figure out how it was done. Then it wasn’t so impressive because you could see past the trick; you taught yourself to notice the magician’s slight of hand. Glamours work in a similar way. If you’re trained to notice the signs, you can get around the glamour even though others will still be deceived by it.”

"That's cool, though I assume that won't really work with Joonmyun's card tricks?" Jongin wondered out loud, garnering a laugh from Baekhyun and Chanyeol who was spectating from the side.

“Nope,” Baekhyun said. “His illusions work with actual illusion magic. No matter how psychologically aware you are, you wouldn’t be able to see past them using glamour tricks.”

Jongin hummed in understanding, a thought crossing his mind. "Are you using a glamour right now?"

“Yes.”

They stared at each other for a couple moments. Jongin waited for Baekhyun to elaborate while the other just smiled at him. He looked over to Chanyeol for further explanation and only got a shrug in return.

“Oh, I’ll leave it up to your imagination to figure out what I’m hiding.” Baekhyun grinned. “I am impressed that you even came to that conclusion, though. That’s promising.”

They moved on after that with Jongin feeling pretty good about himself. _Maybe I'll find my affinity today?_

Baekhyun walked Jongin through the basics of glamour, showing him how to use it in its simplest of forms. Oddly enough, Jongin found that he seemed to be catching on really quickly, a much different result from how he’d felt about Chanyeol’s lesson in alchemy the day before which—while interesting—hadn’t really done much for him.

“Glamour could technically be called a form of spatiomancy,” Baekhyun said, “Because of the way it works. Do you know what spatiomancy is?”

Jongin shook his head. "No, it doesn't sound familiar."

“Okay. I didn’t think it would. Spatiomancy encompasses a big section of magick; it applies to anything that has to do with the bending of space, reality, or time. For example, telepathy, time control, time travel—those are all forms of spatiomancy. Glamour, however, is just a subset of it, which is why I wouldn’t be considered a spatiomancer. Get it?”

"So … those things are magick? And all this time people have been thinking its science stuff. Is there anyone in the coven who uses spatiomancy?"

“Yeah, but he’s not here right now.”

“Is he ever?” Chanyeol grumbled from behind them. He was pouring something bright green into a container full of something that looked like sand, and Jongin was actually surprised it didn’t explode upon impact.

"Either way," Bakehyun continued, "Let’s get started on glamours. Up until this point, we’ve been doing some really basic stuff, but since you’ve caught on so quick, I think it’s okay for us to move forward. I showed you how to use the basic glamours, how to catch the strings of reality and manipulate them to your will, but it will take a lot of practice for you to get good at them.” He smiled. “That being said, why don’t you try glamouring? Nothing huge. Just start out slow.”

Jongin nodded and let his eyes flutter closed in concentration. Drawing in a deep breath, he conjured up an image of himself in his mind's eye and settled for something small just as Baekyeon said. His normally inky black hair shimmered red for a moment as he focused, reaching out with his mind until he could literally feel the image bend to his will.

Baekhyun gasped. “Yes! Just like that!”

Jongin opened his eyes and was immediately met with the sight of Baekhyun practically beaming with excitement. Looking around for anything with a reflecton Jongin caught himself in a fullbody mirror tucked into a corner of the lab. It had elagantly drawn runes scrawled across the surface with a reddish-brown substance, but Jongin was still able to make out himself in all of his firetruck red-haired glory. 

"Holy shit."

“I’ll say,” Chanyeol said. “I mean, changing things like hair and eye color is pretty simple, but still—to get it on your first try like that. We could’ve found your affinity.”

That statement jostled Jongin out of his moment of excitement and his grasp on the glamour broke, leaving him to stare at the reflection of his true self in thought. Was this his affinity? Chanyeol was right, he was catching on pretty quickly and as nice as it felt to finally be able to control the powers he had been cursed—no, _gifted_ with, something just didn't feel right.

"I..." He started, pursing his lips as he tried to find the right words. "I don't think so. I mean, you guys said I'd just know right? I obviously don't really have anything to compare it to but I just—I don't think this is it." Jongin turned back around to look at Baekhyun and Chanyeol with a look of desperation, hoping that the two older witches understood what he was feeling. _Because I sure as hell don't._

Baehyun smiled. “Like we said before, when you find your affinity, you’ll _know_. Everything will just fall into place. But I think we should work on glamours a little more before you decide for sure that it’s not, don’t you?”

Jongin returned the smile and nodded in agreement, relieved that he wasn't just crazy. 

They were at it for the rest of the day, working until Jongin could fully disguise himself before moving onto seeing through glamours. Just like before, it didn't take too long to get the hang of it. However, when he did, he almost wished he'd hadn't. 

The utter mortification on Baekhyun's face and the smug look on Chanyeol's only added to Jongin's growing embarrassment. The amount of dark splotches that littered Baekhyun's skin were in no way subtle, and it was safe to say that Baekhyun had probably forgotten about them while teaching Jongin.

“Ha ha,” Chanyeol said.

Baekhyun drew in a deep breath and curled his lips into an innocent smile, and Jongin almost shat himself right then. 

"Jongin, I think this is good for today. Kyungsoo should be done with dinner soon, so why don't you go wash up." His tone was sickly sweet and it sent shivers up Jongin's spine. "I'm going to stay back and have a word with Chanyeol for a little bit."

"Uh—yeah, sure."  Jonging looked over Baekhyun's shoulder. Chanyeol was sporting the textbook definition of an _oh shit_ face, so Jongin gave him a sympathetic look before he exited the room. That was one lover’s spat he did not want to be a part of.

When Jongin got upstairs, the scent of something amazing reached his nose and he inhaled deeply. However, Kyungsoo said there were still a few minutes left before dinner was ready, so he moved out of the main living area to his room to waste time before then. If he focused hard enough, he thought he could hear Baekhyun yelling at Chanyeol downstairs.

_It’s probably just my imagination._

“Jongin?”

Kris leaned against the room’s doorway, his forearm raised above his head and pressed against the frame in what could be described as nothing but a model pose. His cool gaze settled on Jongin who almost jumped out of his skin at the call of his name. Knowing what he now knew about the older man (which really wasn't much), Jongin couldn't help seeing him in a different light. Yeah, he was still intimidated, but he wasn't borderline terrified as he had been before.

“Oh, Kris … hey.”

“Hey.” Kris offered him a gentle smile. “How are you doing?”

"Good!” Jongin answered, a bit too eager. “I'm good. Today's lesson went pretty well actually." He wasn’t sure why, but he wanted to impress Kris, to show him how well he was doing. Maybe it was to make up for his petulance upon their first meeting and definitely not because he found Kris stupidly attractive. Nope. Not at all.

“Oh, that’s good.”

“Yeah.” 

Kris cleared his throat. “Anyway, how’re you … adapting? I know it must be pretty strange for you, I mean, getting used to all of this.”

Jongin sat down on the edge of his new bed and picked at a loose string in the comforter. "It's nice. Here, I mean. Everything's really new and everybody is quite, uh, eccentric but it's good. Growing up, I always kind of felt like I was different but here ..." Jongin let go of the comforter and folded his hands in his lap, a small smile gracing his lips. "Here, I kind of finally feel like I belong."

“Oh.” Kris averted his gaze. “I’m glad. That’s sort of what this place is, you know? Everyone here has lost something, and they come here to find it again. That’s why I created this coven in the first place. I wanted it to be a place for those who had nothing else left. A haven for those who’d lost more than just themselves.”

Jongin peered up at Kris as felt a warmth spread in his chest, and before he could control the urge he got up and closed the distance between them. His arms slipped around the surprisingly muscled frame, his face practically buried in Kris firm chest as he hugged the man tightly. Jongin didn't exactly understand what had gotten into him, but he knew what he was feeling. _Grateful._ It was the only word to describe the feeling bursting from his heart. He was grateful to Kris for not only creating a place in this world for himself, but for Chanyeol and for everyone else in the house. Jongin wanted to thank him, but words just didn't seem enough.

Kris froze.

His every muscle tensed, and for a moment, Jongin thought he’d made a mistake. Then slowly— _slowly_ —Kris returned the embrace. It was still tense and stiff, but he patted Jongin’s back and even leaned down a little so he didn’t have to reach up so far, and that was all that mattered.

The hug lasted for a while and it wasn't until Kyungsoo called from the kitchen that dinner was ready that they broke it. Jongin threw the elder a bashful smile and scratched the back of his neck, hoping that Kris wouldn't question the sudden contact. Jongin wasn't very good with words in the first place and he knew he'd have a miserable time trying to explain.

Kris stared at him for a moment before he glanced away. “Um, so … dinner?”

“Yeah.”

The two exited Jongin’s room together. Jongin felt like they may have grown a little closer after what had just happened, and it made him happy. He just wanted to get to know Kris. And maybe kiss him, too, if he could. Yeah.

“You look happy,” Baekhyun commented. He was sitting on the edge of the couch, Chanyeol beside him looking dazed and also somewhat pleased. That was weird.

Jongin decided not to question it. “Yeah,” he said instead, “I just had a good day.”

Baekhyun gave him a smile that seemed knowing and said nothing else. 

Soon enough, the rest of the house's residents piled in and settled at the kitchen table for dinner. Jongin had barely gotten a spoonful of rice in before all eyes were on him, everyone looking at him expectantly as if Jongin was supposed to announce the results of the presidential election.

“Uhhhh …” Jongin blinked. “Yes?”

“We were wondering how things went today,” Joonmyun said. Everyone else nodded in agreement.

"Oh, uh it went well I guess? I mean I caught onto everything pretty quick but I...I don't think it's my affinity." He mumbled the last part and watched for the reactions around him, unsure of what to expect.

Joonmyun shrugged. “Don’t worry, you’ll find it eventually.”

Everyone else chorused their agreement, and Jongin felt himself relax.

 

Jongin found himself up slightly earlier than usual the next morning. After yesterday’s successful lesson, he had gotten a good night’s sleep, comforted by the fact that they were at least making progress. He had gone the last couple of months doubting if his powers were even real and just yesterday he had seen them manifest before his eyes. The feeling of validation was enough to lift a bit of the weight on his shoulders. He made his way to the kitchen, hoping to find Kyungsoo making breakfast, but as he turned the corner he felt his shoulder bump into someone a lot taller. 

“Oh, hey, man, I’m sorry,” Jongin apologized, the words coming out as more of a slur.

The man turned and gave Jongin a little smirk. He had sharp, slanted eyes ringed with black and slender features reminiscent of elven depictions in high fantasy. “No problem,” he purred, “I don’t mind.”

Jongin bobbed his head and made to step farther into the kitchen before realizing that he hadn’t recognized the man in question. He racked his brain, trying to remember if he had seen the taller man around the store, but came up with nothing. Jongin squinted at him, noticing something familiar about the dark eyes and curl of his lips. “Do I … do I know you?”

“I don’t know, do you?”

Jongin’s mouth opened to answer but immediately shut when his mind once again came up blank. 

At that moment Kyungsoo walked in, nodding to the stranger. “Tao.”

“Morning, Kyungsoo. Do we have any heavy cream? I’ve only had water and dry food the last few days.”

“Well, that’s your own fucking fault.”

Jongin’s eyebrows furrowed. _Tao?_

Baekhyun entered the room with Chanyeol and Sehun trailing behind, all of them addressing the man as Tao. Baekhyun remarked that he’d forgotten how tall Tao was in “this form”.

Everyone continued to bustle around him, getting breakfast ready as Jongin’s sleep-muddled brain strained to catch up with all of this information. Before he realized it, Jongin expressed his utter confusion aloud.

“But, isn’t Tao a cat?”

“Yeah, sometimes,” Chanyeol said. “He’s usually a cat when he’s being antisocial or when new people _infiltrate_ the coven.”

Tao practically hissed at him.

“Play nice, Tao.”

Deciding the best thing for his sanity was to not question it, Jongin just nodded and sat down at the dining table.

“By the way, Sehun got you some heavy cream. It’s in the fridge,” Chanyeol said.

“Thanks.”

Joonmyun walked into the kitchen then. He looked more awake than anyone else, and he gave Jongin a big smile. “Hey, Jongin! How’d you sleep? You excited for training with me today?”

Jongin couldn’t help but smile back. He wasn’t at all a morning person, but Joonmyun’s positivity was infectious. “I slept well actually, I feel a lot better after seeing the magic actually happen.”

“Exactly! Even though you haven’t found your affinity, you can find comfort in knowing it’s all true, right? Like it doesn’t really _feel_ real until you, yourself, do the magic.”

“Yeah, and I might have already said this, but I’m seriously grateful to you guys for helping me out with this. I was so afraid that I was wrong and that getting kicked out wasn’t worth it and that I was just crazy and—” He stopped himself, taking a breath and smiling a little brighter than before. “It was worth it.”

Joonmyun’s smile softened. “You’re welcome,” he said, leaning forward to ruffle Jongin’s hair. “Finish your breakfast, Jongin, and then we can get started. I’ll be up in my room when you’re ready.”

“Sure thing.” 

However, the rest of the day didn’t go as well as they hoped. At least ten paper cuts and and some singed curtains later, Jongin had given up on illusion magic. When they emerged from Joonmyun’s room, Chanyeol approached Jongin knowingly and rested a hand on his shoulder, the other holding the all-too-frequently used fire extinguisher. 

“Don’t worry, man. You’ll find it eventually.”

Jongin sighed. To say he was bummed now was an understatement. Joonmyun tried to give him some motivation—“You’ll find your affinity soon, I promise!”—but Jongin couldn’t find it in him to be happy. His good mood from that morning shattered, he wandered down to the store’s front once more and sat on a mismatched couch near the fake love potions. Baekhyun stood at the front desk, but he seemed absorbed in his work and said nothing.

The door to the store’s front opened just then. Instinctively, Jongin looked up, expecting some wayward person lulled in by the woo woo fakey front, only to freeze and stare in surprise.

The creature before him was downright ethereal. He had wispy brown hair tangled with twigs and leaves, bright eyes highlighted by dirt-smudged cheeks, and a lithe body draped in loose fabric that was in the same dust-covered state. The scent of cedar and lilacs floated in with him, filling Jongin’s lungs. He could only stare as the second person he didn’t recognize that day just seemed to float in, a serene smile on his handsome face.

“Hello, Baekhyun,” the man said, his voice soft and somewhat flighty. “How are you today?”

“Oh, I’m good! How are you?”

“Wonderful. And I brought that order you asked for.” When the man moved, it seemed as if gravity meant nothing to him. Every step was as light as a feather careening through the air. “Did you need anything else while I am in town?”

Jongin watched the interaction, frozen in his spot. 

Baekhyun nodded. “Thistles and gooseberries. Just a couple handfuls of each.” 

Sehun poked his head out from behind a display of charms he was restocking. “If you need thistle, you can just pick some from the garden; the prickly little bastards are everywhere.” 

“Not just any thistle. _Blessed_ Thistle,” Baekhyun clarified. “There’s a special order from Mrs. Tallinn who just had her baby. She’s having some lactation problems.” 

Sehun’s nose wrinkled at the information. “Eww,” he muttered as he went back to work, and Baekhyun laughed in response.

Yixing laughed too, the sound like the soft tinkling of windchimes. “I will find those for you, Baekhyun. It should not be too hard. But, oh?” he turned his gaze on Jongin and tilted his head to the side. “Who might you be?”

It took Jongin a full thirty seconds to register that he was being addressed by the man he’d been staring down. “Jongin!” he blurted out. “Kim Jongin. Uh, I’m new here.”

“Well, it is nice to meet you, Jongin. I am Zhang Yixing.”

Baekhyun gave a flippant wave of his hand. “He’s our resident druid.”

“Druid? Like a forest elf?”

Yixing smiled. “More like an immortal guardian of the earth. I talk to her, and she responds. It is a communal circle of living that all who call this planet home should accept. I also bring Baekhyun and Kris different rare herbs they need because I am learned in such practices—druidry requires that kind of knowledge. But, enough about me. Are _you_ okay?”

Jongin blinked, surprised by the sudden question. He was ready to respond with an _I’m fine_ out of reflex when he stopped, pursing his lips before letting out a sigh. 

“No, not really. We’re trying to find out what my affinity is. Yesterday with Baekhyun was fine, but today with Joonmyun was an absolute disaster.” To Jongin’s disappointment, he felt tears well up in his eyes. The frustration of the day was finally getting to him. “I almost burned him trying to do a trick.”

“Oh.” Yixing moved closer and put a hand on Jongin’s shoulder. “It’ll be okay. You did not find your affinity today, but I am sure you will.” His hand began to move in soothing circles. “Do not worry.”

Immediately, Jongin felt his entire body relax. Muscles he hadn’t realized had been tensed loosened as any frustration he felt just melted away. He blinked slowly at Yixing. “Th-thanks.”

Yixing gave him a languid nod. “You are welcome.” He floated over toward Baekhyun and leaned against the counter, his eyes half-lidded. “Is Kris in today?”

Kris walked in through the front door just then, as if summoned by his name, and smiled at Yixing. “Yes, he is. Hey, Yixing.”

The druid nodded to him.

Jongin, meanwhile, felt himself go rigid. He hadn’t seen the blond leader all day, nor had he expected to.

Yixing’s lips pulled into a pout as he looked between Kris and Jongin. The young man had just begun to relax when the appearance of Kris and tensed him back up. _How curious._ “Jongin, why so tense again? I just calmed you down,” Yixing said, a bit of a whine in his voice.

Kris glanced at Yixing. “Tense?”

Baekhyun could barely hold back his amused grin as he spoke. “He had a bit of a bad day. Training with Joonmyun didn’t go so well, and Jongin’s down and out about it.”

“Ah. Well …” Kris looked at Jongin, his eyes holding something within that Jongin couldn’t decipher. “I’m sure you’ll find your affinity soon. It’ll just take a bit of hard work and dedication.”

There was silence for a moment, and then Kris cleared his throat. He looked awkward.

“Um, thanks. I guess,” Jongin said.

Baekhyun sighed and facepalmed. Yixing snickered.

“Oh, I see what’s happening.”

Kris threw him a death glare before coughing into his hand and then turning to head upstairs. “I’ll see you all at dinner.”

Moments passed. The silence was punctuated by Baekhyun’s stupid grin and Yixing nodding as if he understood something Jongin didn’t. Groaning, Jongin let his head drop onto the counter with a thud. He was so done with today. So done with strange new people who apparently weren’t new at all. He was done with magic and danger and affinities, and he was especially done with whatever just happened between him and Kris.

“You okay?” Baekhyun asked.

Jongin shook his head. “No. As a matter of fact, I think I’m just going to go to bed.”

“Oh. Do you … want us to bring you dinner?”

“I’m fine, thanks. I just want to sleep.”

He headed upstairs. Baekhyun and Yixing gave each other a look, knowing and sympathetic all at once, but Jongin was too preoccupied with the grains on the hardwood stairs to notice it. He shuffled sadly to his bedroom and flopped into bed. Something in his chest felt heavy.

Damn it.


	6. The Hanged Man

Jongin woke with a bad feeling.

It didn’t take him long to realize the anxiety in his stomach was because today was the day he’d train with Kyungsoo. The shorter, wide-eyed male still terrified him, and Baekhyun’s quips about the seer not killing anyone yet hadn’t helped with his trepidation. Jongin almost didn’t want to go downstairs.

_Maybe I could just pretend I don’t feel well._

In the end, he decided that wasn’t a good course of action. He’d have to train with Kyungsoo no matter what, wouldn’t he? Jongin got out of bed with a sigh and patted out of his room. The sun had only just risen over the horizon, so no one else was really up yet.

No one except Kyungsoo.

The seer sat at the dining room table, a steaming cup of coffee in front of him, and stared Jongin down. Jongin felt himself wilt a little in response.

“Good morning,” Kyungsoo said.

Jongin gave a silent nod, hesitating before taking a seat across from Kyungsoo. Nothing was said between the two for a couple minutes. Kyungsoo continued to sip at his drink, eyes boring into Jongin. He made no move to make conversation, seemingly content in just staring at the younger man.

Finally, tired of the charged silence, Jongin spoke. “So … will you be teaching me about … being a seer today?” 

“No.”

“… No?” Jongin echoed. “But, I thought …”

"Because it's not your affinity,” Kyungsoo stated simply, taking another sip.

“I-it’s not?”

"Nope." The cup clinked softly against the table as Kyungsoo put it down. "I could still teach about it if you're curious—which you are. But I can tell you it's not your affinity."

“How? Did you … _see_ it or something?”

Kyungsoo took a deep breath in through his nose and stood, picking up the cup and taking it to the sink to rinse. "I see everything, Jongin." His voice was quiet, the sound barely cutting through the running water. "Whether I want to or not."

“Does that mean you know what my affinity actually is, then?” Hope blossomed in Jongin’s chest. _Maybe I won’t have to go through all this pointless training anymore!_ “Can you tell me?”

“No can do.”

“What? Why not?”

"Because I _don’t_ tell you." Kyungsoo said in a matter-of-fact manner, turning off the sink and placing the mug on the drying rack, his back still turned to Jongin.

“… You’re not making any sense.”

Kyungsoo crossed his arms over his chest, the look of exhaustion the most expression Jongin had everseen on the shorter male’s face. "Seeing the future isn't something that you can take advantage of. In fact there's nothing I can really do about it. It's like reading ahead about a movie or TV show. Just because I know what's going to happen, doesn't mean I change the outcome."

“So, basically, it wouldn’t change anything even if you told me?”

Kyungsoo nodded. "Afraid so. As scary as it might seem, your path has already been laid out for you. I can only see so far right now but I can tell you it doesn't look to bad. Just know that you will find it."

“I guess that’s … promising?” Jongin frowned. “But, is it really impossible to change the future then? That sounds a little hopeless.”

"It probably doesn't help much to say but...it's complicated. Technically you change your future with every decision you make. But those decisions are already mapped out." Kyungsoo pushed himself off the counter and gestured for Jongin to follow him. "Your decisions are still yours, but the universe already knows what those decisions are and they are prepared for them. I just get spoilers."

Jongin put a hand to his head. “So, there’s an infinite number of possibilities, but they still all lead to one … destiny? Am I getting this right? My head hurts.”

A smirk pulled at Kyungsoo's lips. He held out his hand, gesturing for Jongin to take it, and then led the taller male out of the kitchen and into a rather plain room. It had a window facing the back of the store, serving as the only source of light in the dimness. A round table with two chairs sat across from each other, seeming to be the only piece of furniture besides a small cupboard shoved in the corner. Kyungsoo immediately went to the cupboard, opening a drawer and pulling out a deck of cards. 

“That's pretty much it,” he said, continuing their previous conversation. “Don't try to understand it. I've accepted that time and fate do whatever the fuck they want whether or not you get it, so there's no point in trying to figure it out." 

Kyungsoo sat down on one chair, looking at Jongin expectantly.

Jongin sighed. Despite his curiosity, letting it go seemed like the best idea unless he wanted to trigger a full-on existential crisis with such ideas like _destiny_ and _fate_ and _predestination_. It was easier to just forget all that in the end. People did say, after all, to live in the here and now. So Jongin sat down across from Kyungsoo and stared at the deck of cards he held.

“What are those?” They looked familiar; he vaguely remembered his aunt having something similar. “Tarot cards?”

"Yes, how much do you know about them?"

"Not much. My Aunt had a deck, I think. She used to have me pick some when I was younger and got excited every time I picked the same card. She said it had something to do with my fate, I think." There was that damn word again. _Fate._

Kyungsoo hummed. "Do you remember which card?"

“Maybe?” Jongin hesitated, thinking back. “Um, I don’t remember what it was called—I think they all have names, if I’m remembering correctly. I do kind of remember what it looked like though. There was a lot of blue, like the sky, I think, and I remember there was an angel with some sort of horn-trumpet thing. And I think there were people … in boxes? Or coffins? My Aunt didn’t really explain it to me; she said I was too young to understand.”

Placing the stack of cards face down on the table, Kyungsoo spread them out in a well practiced arc. "Let's see what you get now then."

Jongin stared at the cards for a moment, unsure. He didn’t really know how to do this. When he was younger, his Aunt told him to just grab any card, so he guessed it was the same principle now. He reached out for the first one that seemed to catch his interest and slowly pulled it from the deck. When he flipped it over, the familiar trumpet-bearing angel stared back at him.

“That’s the card I always got before!”

"Judgment" Kyungsoo stated, gathering the rest of the cards and shuffling them. "Self-reflection. You've been awakened recently to your own desires. You've learned to put your needs first."

Jongin stared down at the card. _Judgement._ “That’s true for me now, but why did I pick this card when I was younger?”

"That card is a part of what is called the Major Arcana. Getting one of those usually indicates a major event or even a long-term issue. If you picked that card when you were younger, then it probably meant you leaving your parents’ house was bound to happen."

“…So it was yet another thing that I couldn’t control.” _Just like Auntie said, fate._

"You could look at it that way." Kyungsoo shrugged, the cards slipping in and out of his grip with ease as he kept shuffling. "Are you unhappy with how things turned out?"

“No, of course not,” Jongin said sarcastically. “My parents only kicked me out of the house and left me to my own devices because I found out I had these weird witch powers or whatever. You know. No big deal. Thanks, fate.”

Kyungsoo hummed, fanning the cards out once more. "That part of you is behind you now. Nothing is more important than the present." He nodded towards the cards, indicating for Jongin to pick again.

With a sigh, Jongin grabbed another card without much thought. The first thing to catch his eye about this one was the skeleton seated atop a white horse. Then he saw the word emblazoned at the bottom of the card, and his blood ran cold.

_Death._

“What the hell?” he mumbled, feeling vaguely sick.

Lips quirking up into a smirk, Kyungsoo barely concealed a chuckle. "Don't worry, it's not as foreboding as you think it is. In fact—” he gathered the deck up once more, "—Death is one of the best cards to get."

Jongin looked up at him. “I didn’t even show you the … you know what? Never mind. But how the fuck is Death one of the best cards to get?”

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. "Sure, Death is terrifying and inevitable and the end of all things, but it also symbolizes new beginnings. An old part of you had died and it is time for rebirth. Those are fancy words for ‘it's time to suck it up and move on.’”

“Well, thanks for the pep-talk.” Jongin set the card down, still unnerved by the word bolded on the bottom, and frowned at the seer. “Is that all?”

Kyungsoo shrugged once more, face blank save for an almost challenging twinkle in his eyes. "It can be. Unless you'd like to know about your future..." He trailed off, setting the deck back onto the table and wordlessly, for a third time, fanning them across the dark wood.

A rebellious part of Jongin wanted to just say _fuck it_ , get up, and leave, but the rest of him wanted desperately to know what his future held in store. After all, he was currently boarding with a coven of witches who seemed to think he belonged there, and in the past few days he’d discovered so many things about himself and about things he never believed existed, that he figured _why not?_

Jongin pulled out the third card. This one featured a man hanging upside down by his foot, a halo of light surrounding his head, and the words _The Hanged Man_ on the bottom. Confused, Jongin set the card down and looked up at Kyungsoo for an explanation. 

What he was met with was a little concerning. Instead of the usual neutral face or even a snarky smirk, Kyungsoo's eyebrows were pulled down, eyes narrowed onto the card on the table. He almost looked concerned. His eyes flitted back and forth between the three cards laid out in front of Jongin lingering on the newest edition. There was silence.

“… Kyungsoo?” Jongin chanced. “Is something wrong?”

"I-" the seer started, stopping and suddenly looking up to gaze at Jongin. "For once... I'm not sure." Kyungsoo pursed his lips, looking back down at the cards. "This is interesting. It's referring to something that will happen, but it's something I haven't seen. With the others in the Coven, I can almost see their entire lives. For those outside of it, I get quite a bit, but not as much. With you however, I can see up until a point. The rest is unclear." Kyungsoo sighed and leaned back, armd crossing over his chest like he was uncomfortable with the idea of not knowing Jongin's fate. "Whatever it is, it's going to be big and inevitable. All three cards you pulled were Major Arcana, I think destiny has a plan for you that it doesn't want me to see yet."

 _Major Arcana._ Kyungsoo mentioned that before along with the idea of an unchangeable fate, and that, coupled with the fact that Kyungsoo couldn’t see said unchangeable fate, made Jongin more than a little uncomfortable. “So … basically, I just have to wait and see?” As he said this, he scooped up the three cards on the table in front of him and held them out to the seer. 

"I'm afraid so." Kyungsoo confirmed, reaching out to take the cards. As his fingers connected with the cards his entire body jolted, freezing for a couple of seconds while his expression went slack. He blinked a couple times, a small "Oh" coming out as a breath.

Jongin let go of the cards as if he’d been burned. All this shit was really freaking him out, and he was not enjoying the strange reactions Kyungsoo kept having in regards to his fortune. “What? Did you see something?”

"Yes … uh, no. Sort of." Kyungsoo shook his head. "Don't worry about it, it wasn't anything bad. Just strange." He then gave Jongin a small, close lipped smile and got up from the table. "We're done here. Baekhyun should be here soon to check on you."

The seer was gone so quickly that Jongin didn’t even have time to react. Instead, he sort of stared at where Kyungsoo had been before, confused beyond reason. He’d hoped a reading would have helped him feel a bit less lost; if anything, it made that feeling worse. Jongin dropped his chin in one hand and sighed heavily. _I just can’t catch a fucking break._

Right on time, Baekhyun poked his head into the kitchen, and the warm smile he initially had on immediately melted into a frown as he felt Jongin's frustration. He looked around as he entered the room fully, most likely looking for Kyungsoo.

“Our resident seer just left,” Jongin said with a little huff. “As cryptic as ever.”

Baekhyun sighed and took the seat Kyungsoo was sitting in only minutes ago. "Yeah, he's like that. It's all for good though. I mean, if he doesn't say something, it's usually because that's the best thing to do. He might _look_ like a criminal, but he usually means well!"

“That doesn’t really make me feel better,” Jongin mumbled.

The brunet reached out, patting one of Jongin's hands sympathetically. "I'm guessing Seeing wasn't your affinity either then?"

“No. Kyungsoo told me the moment I sat down with him and then gave me a reading instead.”

Baekhyun nodded, not seeming very surprised by the answer. " It's always a dangerous game, trying to find out the future. Sometimes it can be helpful but other times it can be harmful. Knowing too much might make you paranoid, but try not to think like that. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen so you should just focus on the present instead." He said determinedly, adding a curt nod as if to help make his point. "In the meantime, have you had breakfast yet?"

The sudden question tacked onto the philosophical soliloquy made Jongin start a little. “No,” he said after a moment, noticing then how hungry he was. As if in response, his stomach growled loudly, and he flushed. “I, uh, didn’t get a chance, because … Kyungsoo …” he gestured vaguely.

Baekhyun sighed dramatically and got up, making his way to the fridge. "Figures, that little shit knew I'd come and take care of it. Do pancakes sound good?" He asked, already pulling out eggs and milk.

“Fuck, yes.”

Bakehyun's resulting laugh was interrupted by a startled scream as he closed the fridge door to see Chen grinning on the other side. "Goddammit, I told you to stop popping up like that!"

The demon smirked. “But it’s so much fun. Besides, the only other time I get to hear you scream is when you and Chanyeol go down to do _research_ in his lab.”

Chen's smirk was immediately met with a spatula to the face as Baekhyun started stuttering out curses, pushing at him to get out of the way. Jongin, meanwhile, was doing his best to stay unnoticed; Chen was the last person he wanted to deal with right then. The demon had a way of pissing him off and freaking him out all at once. But, of course, his luck wasn’t that good, and after Chen recovered from the slap Baekhyun gave him, he turned and spotted Jongin sitting at the kitchen table.

“Oh?” A wide grin spread across Chen’s face. “Hello again, gorgeous.”

_Fuck._

"Oh don't bother him," Baekhyun tsked, mixing his dry ingredients. "He's had a rough morning already and he doesn't need you antagonizing him.”

Jongin silently thanked Baekhyun, the relief obviously detectable by the empath as he gave Jongin a wink. 

“I’m not bothering him,” Chen defended. “In fact, I know _just_ the thing to get rid of stress.” So saying, he disappeared and reappeared way too close to Jongin, his eyes dark. “What do you say, gorgeous? You up for it?”

Jumping at the sudden closeness, Jongin leaned back as far away from the demon as he could, eyeing him skeptically. "Up for what?"

“Awwwwww,” Chen cooed, reaching out to grab at Jongin’s chin. “So precious and pure. Must I spell it out for you?”

Jongin sputtered, face reddening as Chen's now obviously clear intentions clicked. He leaned back even further, almost falling off of the chair entirely. 

"Chen, you and I _both_ know how Kris will feel about you touching Jongin." Bakehyun said simply, leaned up against the counter and sassily whisking away at the pancake mixture.

At the mention of Kris, Chen froze up. “I wasn’t going to actually do anything,” he scoffed. “I was just teasing, of course.”

"Mmmhm." Bakehyun hummed unbelievingly. 

Jongin swallowed hard, still not used to the presence of something so obviously not human. Darkness basically radiated off Chen, a strange heat licking at his skin. Being so close was making Jongin sweat, his heart rate speeding up.

Chen made a short _tsk_ noise and leaned back against the table, a bit farther away from Jongin but still near to him. “Speaking of which, where is our great and mighty leader? I haven’t seen him yet this morning.”

“Right here,” Kris said, walking into the kitchen. His blond hair was mussed, his eyes still glazed over with sleep. He didn’t look especially threatening in that moment; if anything, he looked downright domestic.

Despite this, Chen scrambled away from Jongin, his eyes wide. “Hey, Kris. How’s it going?”

Fantastic, as if Jongin wasn't close enough to having a heart attack. 

Kris made his way across the room, going directly for the coffee maker. His hand reached out and smacked the side of Chen's head along the way, not even betting an eyelash as he did it. Chen hissed in annoyance and promptly disappeared from the kitchen in a cloud of black smoke. Kris rolled his eyes in response.

“He’s such a drama queen,” Kris said with a sigh.

"Told you." Baekhyun practically sang, dropping a hefty glob of butter onto a heated pan. 

Jongin huffed a sigh of relief, settling back into his seat.

Kris ran a hand through his already-messy hair as he poured himself a cup of coffee. He watched Baekhyun cook for a minute as he sipped on the hot drink, his gaze eventually sliding over to land on Jongin. “Hey,” he said.

"Hi, uh, thanks." Jongin waved a hand awkwardly, gesturing towards where Chen was previously. "I'm not sure why he got to me so much ..."

“Well, he is an asshole, but …” Kris trailed off and glanced at Baekhyun.

Jongin followed the stare in confusion, the meaning of it dawning on him as Baekhyun gave him a sheepish smile. Right, he kept forgetting Baekhyun was basically an amplifier for his emotions. Between demons and emotional megaphones, Jongin really started to wonder if he would actually ever get used to this place.

“Anyway,” Kris said, clearing his throat, “Aside from Chen’s demon-antics, how’re you? Have you met with Kyungsoo yet?”

"Ah, yeah." Jongin couldn't keep the disappointment from his voice, looking down at his lap as he spoke. "Other than a super depressing reading, no luck."

“Super depressing reading?”

Jongin nodded, the images of the three cards infiltrating his mind’s eye. "He had me pick three cards. I think they represented my past, present, and future? He said they were all the Major thingy so they were inevitable." Despite what Kyungsoo said, the Death card still stuck out to him, his stomach churning at its implication.

“Major Arcana,” Kris corrected. He took another sip of his coffee, shared a look with Baekhyun, and then shruged. “Well, since Seeing isn’t your affinity, I suppose you should move on to the next.”

Instead of relief, Jongin only felt dread. He was becoming less and less excited about these sessions. It was beginning to feel a little helpless at this point. So caught up in his moping, he almost didn't register the plate of pancakes set down in front of him by a concerned Baekhyun.

“Eat up,” Baekhyun said. “You’ll feel better when you’re not operating on an empty stomach.”

“Yeah.”

Kris stayed silent for a bit, contemplating, only to set his coffee down and move to stand next to Jongin. “I’ve got an idea.”

Jongin stared up at Kris, feeling even smaller than he did when he was standing next to the towering man. "Um?"

A small smile broke out over the taller male’s face. “Relax, Jongin. I was just going to say that maybe you could take the rest of the day off. I know how much all this has been for you; just take a day to let yourself adjust.”

"That's a great idea!" Baekhyun agreed, sitting himself down at the table with his own plate. "You haven't had any time to yourself since you got here." 

It was true. Jongin hadn't even really thought about it, too eager to learn about this entirely new world he had been trying to dig up information about for months. "That would be nice actually."

“Exactly,” Kris said, still towering over Jongin. “In the meantime, I have to go run some errands. I’ll be back in about a day or so.”

Baekhyun raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Where are you going?”

“I have to meet up with Yixing, and there’s also talk of another coven coming into town, so I thought I’d check up on that. You know how we’ve had problems in the past with territorial groups.” Kris made a face. “Anyway, it’s all unbased rumors, but better safe than sorry.”

Jongin kept silent, choosing instead to shovel bites of his breakfast into his mouth, trying not too think too hard about the disappointment tugging at his heart. Baekhyun shot him a small look and Jongin knew that it would probably be brought up later. Awesome.

Kris yawned and picked his coffee back up. “Call me if you need anything, Baek. I’ll leave in a bit. Also, if Chen acts up today, let him know that I’m nearing _that time_.”

“My pleasure,” Baekhuyn said with a wicked grin.

Before he could stop himself, Jongin asked, "That time?"

“I’m menstruating,” Kris deadpanned. Then he walked off without another word, coffee in-hand, leaving Jongin wading in chest-deep confusion.

Baekhyun choked on a piece of pancake as Jongin just stared.

“ _Anyway_ ,” Baekhyun stressed. “Want to help me in the shop for a bit?”

 

It was when Jongin was sorting through a sale bin of crystals that he finally asked. "So, uh, about what Kris said earlier. He's not...uh." He fumbled with his words, face reddening a bit.

Baekhyun stared at him for a moment before laughing. “Oh, that. Kris was just fucking with you. He’s a bit of a dick sometimes, honestly.”

"Right,” Jongin said as casually as possible, ducking his head to hide his embarrassment at taking Kris so literally. "He doesn't seem too bad? I mean, he's a little scary but he keeps demon breath in check."

“I take offense to that,” Chen chimed in from the front of the store.

“Ignore him,” Baekhyun said, offhand. “As for Kris, yeah, he’s a good guy. He’s helped us all out so much. Of course, he can still be a dick. It’s in his nature, I guess.”

"If it's not that then, what did he mean by _that time_?"

“Mm, it’s kind of hard to explain.”

Jongin frowned. "Does it have anything to do with the affinity training? Because I meant to ask before when I would work with him."

Baekhyun opened and closed his mouth a few times before sighing. “You won’t be working with him, Jongin. He’s not a magick user.”

"What? But isn't he the leader of the coven? And what was that glowy thing he did when I first got here?"

“Well, he’s … he’s a dragon.”

_What._

"What?"

Baekhyun had the grace to look a bit sheepish before continuing. “Well, technically, he’s half-dragon. That’s what he meant about the whole _that time_ thing. He gets a bit antsy if he stays in his human form too long, and he’s kind of been holding himself back since you got here because he didn’t want to freak you out anymore than you already were, so … yeah.”

Jongin almost dropped the chunk of rose quartz he was holding, staring at Baekhyun. It was silent for a moment; even Chen was quiet, watching Jongin's reaction with a quirked eyebrow. 

Legs wobbling slightly, Jongin just sat down. His butt hit the floor a little harder than he meant it to, and he might be sore later but he didn't care. He just needed to sit. Immediately, Baekhyun ran over, worried now.

“Jongin. _God_ , I should have worded that a bit better rather than spilling it all at once. Are you okay? Do you want me to get anything?”

Chen scoffed. “Give him space to breathe, Baek. The poor kid looks like he might break.”

Right on cue, tears started welling up in Jongin's eyes, his heart rate jumping up as Baekhyun got close. With weak arms he pushed at Baekhyun, his breath coming out in short gasps. "T-too much!" It was all too much, and the empath’s close proximity was making it worse.

Baekhyun backed off, his expression a twist of worry and guilt. “Chanyeol!” he called.

The alchemist must have heard the note of panic in his boyfriend’s voice, because he showed up from the back of the shop within seconds, a pair of lab goggles perched on top of his head. He glanced at Baekhyun, seemed to gain some sort of telepathic relay from him, and then moved to crouch down next to Jongin.

“Hey,” Chanyeol said, his deep voice oddly calm, “Come on. Let’s go to my lab for a bit, okay? I’m going to get you some tea.”

Jongin just nodded, not even flinching when Chen suddenly appeared next to him, gently taking hold of his shoulder and helping him up. Alchemist and demon supported him back into Chanyeol’s lab, depositing him gently on a wayward stool. Chen took a few steps back, his gaze levelled on Jongin as Chanyeol grabbed a mug and poured tea into it from a steaming beaker.

“Here,” he said, handing it to Jongin. “Chamomile.”

Jongin reached out with his right hand out of reflex, blinking when he realized he still had the chunk of quartz clutched in his hand. He took the mug in his left hand instead. "Thanks." His voice was weak; it didn't feel as closed up anymore now that he was away from Baekhyun, but he felt like all of the air had been sucked from his lungs.

“What happened?” Chanyeol asked, directing his question at Chen.

The demon sighed. “Baekhyun told Jongin, rather tactlessly, might I add, that Kris is actually half-dragon.” 

The alchemist turned back to Jongin. “Are you feeling a bit calmer now?”

Heaving a shaky sigh, Jongin closed his eyes. He wasn't crying anymore and his breathing was returning to normal. His brain was still a bit muddled but it didn't feel like the walls were caving in on him anymore. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry."

“You don’t have to apologize. I know all this has been quite a lot to adjust to.”

"That's an understatement." He huffed, fingers tightening around the mug. "Last week I was googling ‘does magic exist?’, and now I'm surrounded by demons and serial killer fortune tellers and mad scientists and now a _fucking dragon_ —"

“Wait,” Chanyeol interrupted, “Back up. Serial killer fortune tellers?”

Chen snickered. "I think he means Kyungsoo."

“Kyungsoo’s not a serial killer?”

“That’s debatable,” Chen deadpanned.

"It's just too much!" Putting the mug down he ran a hand through his hair, tugging at the dark strands as if trying to anchor himself. "I've been surrounded by nothing but the abnormal for like, seven days; I don't even know what normal feels like anymore. I don't even know what's happening outside of this shop, and the last non-magical person I spoke to was the fucking bus driver!"

Chanyeol’s eyes widened. For a moment, he looked hurt, then he sighed and bent down to Jongin’s height. “Would it help if we went out for a bit?”

Oh. Well, Jongin hadn't really thought about that. 

"Yeah, unlike some of us, you're actually allowed to leave this damn building." Chen grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against one of the work benches. "You're not trapped here, you know." 

Jongin opened his mouth to protest. He never felt trapped—at least, not by the members of the coven.  It wasn't like they were keeping him captive. Jongin just wanted to learn about magic and all of the things his Aunt only ever spoke about when they were alone. Shame manifested in a deep blush that warmed his face and neck. "I … you're right. Sorry. I, uh, I think I would like to go out. See the town some more?"

“Of course!” Chanyeol grinned and stood. “I’ll see who else wants to go. Baek will probably have Sehun stay to watch over the shop, but I’ll check. Finish your tea; I’ll be right back.” The alchemist paused just before he left the lab, glaring at Chen. “And you. Keep your demon-hands off him.”

Chen huffed. “Whatever.”

Side-eying Chen, Jongin picked up the still steaming mug and took a sip, relieved as some of the tension slipped from his shoulders. He felt much calmer now, still confused but definitely calmer. He thought back to what Chen had said and felt curiosity niggle at him. Before he could stop himself, Jongin turned to look fully at the lounging demon. 

"Um, thanks by the way. You're not half as terrible you seem."

Chen made a sound somewhere between a snort and a huff. “Wow, thanks.”

Undeterred, Jongin continued. "But what did you mean earlier about not being able to leave?"

“Oh, yeah, I guess no one told you yet. Well, a few years ago, Chanyeol was trying to strengthen the wards on the shop and accidentally summoned me, and in an attempt to keep me from wreaking havoc, the damn alchemist anchored me to the shop. So, he got what he wanted in the end, I guess—I’m his extra layer of protection. But that also means I can’t leave.” Chen shrugged. “Thankfully, things never get boring around here.”

Jongin looked at Chen incredulously. "Obviously, I'm no expert, but how do you mix up protection wards and summoning demons?"

Chen threw his hands up in the air. “Fuck if I know! I really shouldn’t complain, though. Hell’s a bit boring when you’ve been there for a few centuries; it’s all the same, fire and suffering souls and demons torturing people, you know. Here, I never know what to expect.”

Hell was boring. That was something Jongin never thought he'd near in this lifetime. "A few years? And you can't leave at all?" Jongin suddenly felt really guilty for whining earlier. He would go crazy if he had to stay in one place for years.

“Like I said, it’s not all bad. And I’m used to being in one place for extended periods of time after living in Hell. I was there for nearly a millennium, after all. A few years in this shop is nothing.”

Jongin was tempted to ask the demon how old he was but for some reason he knew it didn't really matter. When you live forever, what does age have to do with anything? 

"So hell really is all fire and brimstone? Do all demons look like people?"

“Yeah, Hell is like that, but no, not all demons look like people. The really old demons had actual bodies, but they’ve all been reduced to spirit forms. Nowadays, most demons have to either possess someone to have a corporeal form or have a magick-user dredge up some sort of makeshift-body for them.” Chen crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s another reason I can’t leave the shop; this form would dissipate.”

Jongin was about to ask what exactly a spirit form was when Chanyeol poked his head out from the doorway, looking as sunny as usual. "Tao and Minseok will be accompanying us into town. Ready to go?"

“Oh, uh, yeah,” Jongin said as he got to his feet.

Chen sighed and gave them a sarcastic salute. “Have fun without me.”

Jongin sent the demon an apologetic look that was immediately waved off. He wanted to feel bad for Chen, especially after their conversation, but he couldn't help the excitement that bubbled in his stomach as he followed Chanyeol through the shop.

Baekhyun and the others were already outside, chatting by themselves on the other side of the glass windows of the store front. Chanyeol joined them, the bell above the door jingling as he did, leaving Jongin to stare after him, his feet frustratingly glued to the hardwood floors of the inside. 

He didn't know why he felt so hesitant; just a few moments ago he felt like flinging himself outside, ready to breathe in some fresh air, but something stopped him now. Nervousness? Anxiety? He had no clue about the town beyond what the glass storefront allowed him to see. He didn't know about it layout or its people. Jongin was once again reminded that he was no longer in his hometown, away from everything he knew. It froze him in his spot.

“Coming?” Chanyeol asked, turning to look at him.

Jongin nodded, took a deep breath, and crossed the threshold.

 


	7. Legilimency

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> gomen

Unsurprisingly, this town was like many others. Shops lined the streets, mostly chains with the odd Mom n' Pop store in between. The sun was at its highest as they walked down the sidewalk, the crisp spring air warmed in the afternoon light. It had rained a couple more times since Jongin arrived, but yesterday as well as today were pretty clear. It only added to the elation Jongin felt at being outside.

There weren't many other people out and about which was probably normal for the middle of a week day, so the sidewalks weren't very crowded. It made for a casual stroll, his guides chirping in with facts about the town and its inhabitants as they went.

Tao was mostly, as per usual, while Minseok easily kept up with Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s banter. Jongin hadn't spent a lot of time with Minseok but decided quickly that he was one of Jongin’s favourites. Despite looking relatively harmless, Minseok was quite sharp-tongued and took a few jabs at Baekhyuns expense. It was hilarious to see the other man so flustered.

“Ooh, the farmer’s market!” Baekhyun exclaimed then, pointing down the street. “Let’s stop by! I’ve been wanting to pick up some fresh produce for a new recipe of mine.”

“Sound good,” Chanyeol said, heading in that direction.

Jongin was still distracted by all the new sights and sounds, and was too busy reveling in the gentle warmth of the sun on his upturned face to really pay attention to the fact that Minseok kept glancing at him every few moments. Finally, the other magick user drew closer, putting a hand on Jongin’s shoulder.

“Hey,” he said.

Jongin jumped a little at the touch, feeling a bit silly afterwards at being caught daydreaming. "Ah, hey. Sorry, did something happen?"

Minseok gave him a gentle smile. “No, no, I just wanted to ask how you were doing. We’ve only really met once before, and I wasn’t very … responsive. I’d had a long day.”

If Jongin was being honest, he had almost forgotten about Minseok entirely. With everything else going on and the private "lessons" he was getting from the other coven members in between helping in the shop, he hadn't really thought about Minseok, or even Joonmyun whom he also hadn't seen since they had all eaten together.

"It's been...alright? I'm still kind of getting used to everything."

“Yeah. I know the others can be quite a handful. I am looking forward to training with you tomorrow, though.”

That took Jongin by surprise. "I'm training with you tomorrow?" It was news to him. He instantly felt a lump of dread work its way into his stomach, memories of his past attempts at finding his shtick not going so well resurfacing. Unable to help it, he didn't have much hope for the next few days either.

“Don’t look so excited,” Minseok teased. “Seriously, though, don’t worry. I know exactly what you’re feeling; it took me a while to find my affinity, too.”

The younger man offered the best smile he could, feeling a little ashamed for letting his obvious doubts show. He didn't want to seem ungrateful. "Thank you, I—uh, I really am looking forward to working with you. It's just been a little frustrating so far." Frustrating was one word for it, though that day’s earlier events were more terrifying than anything. Shaking his head, Jongin focused on the present. "What kind of magic will we be doing?"

“Elemental magic.”

“Chanyeol, stop!” Baekhyun shouted from up ahead, punching Chanyeol in the shoulder for some reason Jongin had not witnessed. The empath was smiling, though, a light dusting of red across his cheeks. Tao, trailing along behind them, rolled his eyes.

“I control water in various forms,” Minseok continued, ignoring the cheesiness unfolding before them. “Mostly ice.”

That struck something in Jongin, and he found himself getting really excited at the thought of it. Out of all the different magicks Jongin had encountered during his stay at the shop, he hadn't seen much elemental magick in use. In fact, the only constant he had to deal with was Baekhyun's Empath abilities, and those weren't even tangible. He almost forgot that he had even learned about glamours since they hadn't had any reason to use one.

"It'll be my first time learning elemental stuff. Is it different from other magick?"

“Yes and no,” Minseok replied. “The idea behind it is the same, but elemental magick is focused on controlling specific elements. Really powerful elemental users can conjure their element of choice from nothing, but most work from the environment. For example, I usually pull water from the air and then freeze it with my magicks.”

"From the air?" Jongin couldn't keep the incredulousness out of his voice.

“Well, yeah. There’s moisture in the air always, you know, even on the driest of days. I’d give you a demonstration, but …” he gestured vaguely at the public area where they stood. “I’ll show you later, back at the shop.”

Jongin nodded enthusiastically, trying to imagine what freezing the air would look like. "That would be great, thank you."

“Of course!” Minseok looked ahead, to Baekhyun and Chanyeol as they paid for the bags of fresh fruits and vegetables, and Tao as he leaned against a nearby cart and tried his best to look disinterested, and smiled. “Shall we join the others?”

“Yeah, sure.”

They caught up to Baekhyun, Chanyeol, and Tao just as discussions about where to go next began. Tao expressed a desire to get a cold drink, and Baekhyun agreed coffee sounded good, so they headed to a nearby coffee shop. It was a rather rustic-looking place, obviously a more local business than something like Starbucks. The inside was all dark hardwood and soft incandescent bulbs strung across the ceiling like Christmas lights, and the whole place smelled of ground coffee beans and chocolate treats.

They were all putting in their orders when an unfamiliar voice piped up from behind them.

"Their drinks are all on me. Except for Baekhyun's; he can pay for his own damn self."

Jongin glanced over his shoulder at the man standing behind them. He had soft, light brown hair and eyes that sparkled with mischief. Despite his shorter-than-average stature, he seemed to take up a lot of space, and Jongin could tell he had a personality that more than compensated for his height.

“That’s rude, Jonghyun,” Baekhyun said without even turning around.

Jonghyun shrugged. “I’m not here for you, anyway. I’m just here to see my child.” He waved to someone across the shop, a boy with a wide, child-like smile and hair the color of the sunset.

“Hey, Jonghyun!” the orange-haired boy called. “I’m about to go on break, so hold on a sec. Let me get everyone’s drinks made.”

“Jongin, this is Jonghyun,” Chanyeol said, gesturing at the shorter male. “He’s part of another coven nearby. Taehyung, the kid with orange hair, is a witch-in-training, and Jonghyun has kind of adopted him.”

“Kind of?” Baekhyun snorted. “He practically stalks the poor kid.”

“I take offense to that,” Jonghyun said.

“Make mine with extra cream, please, Taehyung!” Tao called to the orange-haired boy.

Jonghyun extended his hand out to Jongin which he took almost absently, a little dazzled by the other magick user.

"I heard a couple rumors that there was a new face around the shop,” Jonghyun said, raising an eyebrow. “I thought of stopping by to see for myself, but the youngins' keep me busy. Someone can't seem to keep from making a mess even with the smallest of spells." That last part received a sour look from Taehyung, to which Jonghyun just laughed. The sound was mesmerizing. Hell, Jonghyun's voice in general had an ethereal lilt to it that almost made Jongin’s skin tingle.

Jongin realized that he was just staring dumbly at Jonghyun who looked amused, their hands still connected. He quickly retracted his, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“So, what brought you to Kris’s odd little coven?” Jonghyun asked.

“Hey, Jongin,” Baekhyun said, waving off Jonghyun, “Would you go find us a place to sit?”

“Rude,” Jonghyun huffed, throwing Baekhyun’s earlier words back at him, though his smile gave away his amusement.

Glad for the out, Jongin slipped away to find a table. That was one question he didn't want to answer. Figuring that Jonghyun and Taehyung were going to join them, Jongin found a corner with two tables pushed together and sat down just in sight of the others. Besides Tao, who was the first to get his drink and was sipping away silently, they were all chatting away, looking as though they were catching up.

Jongin felt a stab of loneliness. He hadn't had many friends back home, but he did miss the few he left behind. He wondered if they missed him as well, if they even knew he was gone. Had he been reported missing? What were his parents going to tell the rest of his family?

Frowning at those thoughts, Jongin looked around the room for something to distract himself. His eyes were quickly drawn to an old-looking TV bolted to the wall adjacent to him. The news was on. It was reporting about a series of odd deaths that occurred a few towns over; the police were investigating them as homicides, but they didn’t have any explanations or suspects yet. All they had told the press was that the deaths were definitely connected. Apparently, they all died in similar fashions.

“ _What do you mean by ‘similar fashions’?_ ” the reporter on TV asked, pushing her microphone into the officer’s face. The officer frowned as he answered.

“ _Well, the only way to put this is that they were all dismembered_.”

The reporter visibly blanched. “ _… Dismembered?_ ”

“ _Yes. We had trouble finding some of the parts_.”

“Here’s your drink, Jongin,” Chanyeol’s cheery voice interrupted, setting a hot chocolate down in front of him.

Jongin thanked him, taking hold of the cup as he looked back at the TV, but the news had changed to something else. Jongin shrugged and instead turned his attention to the others as they all sat down at the table with him. For a few moments, he was content to just sit there and listen to them chat as he drank, but when Taehyung came over and started talking about how he had yet to find his affinity, Jongin perked up.

Baekhyun gave Taehyung a sympathetic look as he patted Jongin's shoulder. "Don't worry too much; our new friend over here hasn't pinned his down either. It takes time."

Taehyung glanced at Jongin, looking relived. "Really?"

"Ah, yeah,” Jongin replied. “I've only tried out a couple so far but no luck? I was pretty decent at the glamour stuff but Alchemy totally went over my head. And uh—" he paused, realizing that he hadn't really done any sort of training with Kyungsoo, unless you counted receive cryptic messages about his inevitable suffering as training. He frowned at the memory.

"The tarot stuff didn't go too well either." Baekhyun interjected, probably feeling the frustration rolling off Jongin in waves.

“Yeah, I understand,” Taehyung said, a knowing look on his face. “So far I’ve done some training with Jonghyun and a few others, but we haven’t found mine yet.” He shrugged. “I know I’ll get it eventually, but it’s just a little frustrating, you know?”

Jongin nodded; he more than understood. Everybody else did the same, with the exception of Tao who detached himself from his drink for the first time since he got it, drawing the group’s attention with a small clearing of his throat.

"Maybe you just need to get good." He stated evenly before going back to sipping quietly at his drink.

The table was silent for a few seconds before Jonghyun practically howled with laughter. Chanyeol managed to purse his lips and keep it in for all but fifteen seconds before he also erupted in giggles. Baekhyun promptly smacked him upside the head, but the alchemist continued grinning regardless.

“Wow, thanks,” Jongin deadpanned.

Taehyung, to his credit, actually joined in with Jonghyun’s laughter. “Jonghyun always said you were funny, Tao.”

Tao’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not funny. I’m fucking brilliant.”

Minseok shook his head, his own laughter dying down into soft chuckles. "As harsh as it is, he's got a point. The more you work at it, the faster you'll get results. Try not to be discouraged. It's good to take time, but if you keep thinking 'oh I'll get there eventually' then you're not putting in all your effort."

Taehyung pouted. “That’s not what I meant! I’m not half-assing it. I work hard! Right, Jonghyun?”

Jonghyun raised one eyebrow and didn’t answer.

“ _Jonghyun_ ,” Taehyung whined.

“Joking, joking. You do work your ass off.”

“Thank you.”

"What about the others?" Baekhyun asked. "Last time I heard Namjoon was having some good luck with elemental magick."

Taehyung nodded, brightening. “Namjoon is doing really well! He seems to be leaning more toward fire elemental magic as his affinity. The others are making good progress as well; Yoongi and Hoseok are definitely the ones who found theirs the easiest, though.”

"Ah yes, those two managed to manifest theirs on the same day,” Jonghyun said. “Funnily enough, Jongkook was actually the first to find his. The little golden child had his affinity figured out before we even took the group under our wing. It pissed off the older ones to no end." Jonghyun's grin only be described as Proud Dad, and it made something in Jongin ache.

"Anyways," Jonghyun continued, nudging Taehyung in the side. "This little shit needs to get back to work, but we should meet up again sometime. The kids could have a playdate while the adults grab some drinks." The fair-haired man sent a wink Jongin's way to let him know he was joking; Jongin huffed indignantly back which earned another bark of laughter.

“Jonghyun is an acquired taste,” Baekhyun remarked as Taehyung went back to making coffee and Jonghyun got up to leave. “But he is a really great person. He and his coven took Taehyung and his friends in when no one else would; they really are the do-gooders of our community.”

"I'd hate to think of what would have happened to them if they hadn't," Chanyeol muttered. " I heard they were literally picking through a dumpster when Minho found them."

"They're actually a lot more like you thank you'd think Jongin." Minseok chimed in, looking more serious than normal. "They were practically run out of their hometown for getting caught practicing magick."

Jongin’s eyes widened. He glanced over at Taehyung, watching as he served up espresso drinks and greeted each customer cheerily, and felt his heart break in his chest. He couldn’t imagine Taehyung and his friends living on the streets and picking through the garbage.

Suddenly, his life didn’t look so bad.

“God,” he muttered.

“But things are better now,” Baekhyun added. “No need to look so down. Everyone goes through low points in their lives; some are worse than others, but we can all make it out if we try, yeah?”

Jongin nodded, agreeing.

“Well,” Tao said. He’d finished his drink and now stood, arching his back as he stretched; the movement was more feline than human, and Jongin remembered just then that Tao was more often a cat than not. “I think it’s probably time to head back. Sehun can get pretty antsy when he’s left on his own in the shop.”

“Right,” Baekhyun said. “Jongin, are you ready to go?”

Jongin just nodded again, words getting stuck in his throat. As he got up he made it a point to stand away from Baekhyun who just gave him an understanding look. Jongin didn't feel like crying in public.

He made sure to smile and wave back at Taehyung who bade them goodbye from behind the counter. Taehyung waved back with a grin and a sardonic salute. Jongin tried to imagine such a bubbly, happy person living on the streets and quickly decided not to think about it; again, Baekhyun was still nearby, and he needed to keep it together.

As they walked outside, Jongin took a few moments to just revel in the gentle warmth of the late afternoon. The sun was beginning to set as they walked back toward the shop, and Jongin realized how much more relaxed he felt. Getting out of the shop that day really had been a good idea.

_I should do this more often._

Just then, his gaze caught a sign for a dance studio across the street, and he froze as a thousand memories rushed back all at once. It was as if the air had been pulled out of his lungs.

The window at the front of the building showed off a ballet class currently in session. The students couldn't have been any older than fifteen, and a sudden realization of everything that had changed hit Jongin like a bus. How could he have forgotten? It was just over a week ago that he’d been attending one of his hip-hop classes in a studio just like that; it had been a year since he'd dropped ballet, but the memories were still fresh. Before his parents had kicked him out, his whole life had revolved around his dance classes. Most days, they were the only reason he went outside at all. Jongin had spent his whole life dancing; it was more than just his hobby. It was his passion.

Less than ten days ago, he was in a studio exactly like the one across the road, its windows filled with various trophies and awards and flyers showing off lesson prices. Less than ten days ago, he had been living his life normally. Now Jongin was completely uprooted; his friends and family, his dance practices and long school days and even his cell phone, forgotten in his old bedroom, were gone from his life so easily. And he’d just forgotten it all, as if his old life had never happened.

Granted, a lot had gone on in the past few days, but still…

“Jongin?” Baekhyun’s voice cut through his existential crisis, and Jongin looked up to see the others had stopped and were all staring at him. “Is everything all right?” Baekhyun continued.

"I ..." He didn't know. Was everything all right? He was still living and breathing. Sure, he had lost his entire life, but he was _alive_. Nothing was stopping him from continuing to dance; hell, maybe he could even join the studio in front of him. He had completely forgotten about his phone until now, so obviously it didn't matter to him that much. He was kind of running out of clothes to wear, but he could just get new ones couldn't he?

There was a feeling creeping up on Jongin that he had never felt before. It was this odd hollow feeling, and a sort of calm settled over him. He wasn't exactly upset, just kind of sad. In retrospect, Jongin would realize that at the time he had been mourning.

He had been mourning for the version of himself that he was before he left.

Baekhyun looked concerned. “Uh, Jongin?” He reached over as if to put a hand on the younger male’s shoulder, only to hesitate and glance at Chanyeol instead. In response, the alchemist waved a hand in front of Jongin’s face, and Baekhyun threw him a glare.

“What?” Chanyeol squeaked.

“Be _nice_.”

“I am!”

“I’m fine,” Jongin managed finally, his voice strangely steady. “I’m fine.”

The group exchanged concerned looks -with the exception of Tao- but decided not to question it.

The rest of the walk back to the shop was quiet. When they got there, the bell above the door signaling their arrival, Sehun let out a gasping “oh thank God” and proceeded to tell Baekhyun about an array of customers whom he now wanted to put on their curse list. Chanyeol took his leave to go back to his lab, and Tao disappeared only to reappear a bit later in his cat form.

Meanwhile, Jongin stood near the entryway of the shop, unsure what to do next when Kyungsoo came down the stairs. The seer glanced at him, raised one eyebrow, and then smirked. Jongin blinked, confused.

Then it hit him.

Death. The Tarot card he got earlier that day while having the reading with Kyungsoo. It signified new beginnings, that an old part of him had died and a new part had been reborn, and that was basically everything he just realized. The person he was before was gone. Jongin put a hand to his head, unsure if he should cry or get mad or just move on.

“Are you hungry, Jongin?” Baekhyun asked, apparently done with his conversation with Sehun. He still looked worried.

"No." It was partly true. He could eat, but he didn't have any confidence that he would keep it down. "I'll be alright, I promise." He tried to give the older man a smile.

“Oh. Okay.” Baekhyun’s gaze was soft, caring. “Well, I’ll leave some food in the fridge if you get hungry later.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

Jongin trudged up the stairs and slipped into his room, glad for the darkness as he fell into bed without even changing. He wanted to sleep forever.

It didn't take long after his head hit the pillow for him to drift off. The emotional exhaustion of it all making his limbs feel like lead. He dreamt of nothing. It was a small relief from the day he had.

His body, on the other hand, had no qualms about betraying him and promptly woke him up about sex hours later. He lay in bed for almost another hour, keeping himself completely still as if trying to trick his body into thinking it was still asleep. It didn't work. A low rumble in his gut reminded him that he hadn't eaten earlier, and that he should probably do something about it considering that he wasn't going to be going back to bed anytime soon.

Groaning to himself, Jongin practically dragged himself out of bed, grabbing the long sleeve shirt he had haphazardly thrown off before going to bed and making his way to the kitchen.

One light in the kitchen was on, a soft yellow light above the stove. It allowed Jongin just enough to see his way to the fridge. Baekhyun said something about some food in there for him, so he could probably just eat that. There was a plate covered in saran wrap; it seemed to have rice and some sort of meat drenched in sauce, but Jongin didn’t really care what it was. Everything Baekhyun made tasted good. Jongin grabbed the plate and closed the fridge, turning to find the microwave so he could heat his food, only to see a familiar figure sitting at the kitchen table.

_Kris._

Jongin recoiled, nearly dropping the plate of food he was holding, and put a hand to his chest. Kris just stared at him, sipping calmly from a steaming mug.

"D-don't do that!" Jongin managed to squeak out. He could literally feel his heart ramming against his ribcage. If he wasn't awake before he definitely was now.

Kris raised an eyebrow. “Do what? Exist? I’ve been here since before you walked in.”

“… Well, then _announce_ your presence or something. I nearly had a heartattack.”

“Sorry.” Kris took another sip of his drink. “Can’t sleep?”

Leaning back against the counter behind him, Jongin heaved a big sigh to try and calm himself and shook his head. "I did for a bit. I went to bed earlier than usual, but my body has its own clock and decided I'd had enough sleep. I guess it was my fault in the first place."

He felt strange making casual conversation with Kris. Jongin realized then that this was the first time he had spoken to the other man since he found out he was _part fucking dragon_. Jongin felt like something should have changed, but it hadn't. Part mythical creature or not, Kris was still the same stoic, frustratingly handsome person he had met a week ago.

“Mmh,” Kris hummed. “Also, are you going to put your shirt on?”

"Ye— _what?_ " As if in a cartoon, Jongin looked down at himself, blinking owlishly at his very much bare chest.

It was then that it hit him that he had grabbed his shirt but, in his sleep-muddled state, had not _put the shirt on_. Jongin struggled for a moment and slowly put the plate down on the counter, avoiding eye contact with Kris while he tugged the shirt on.

"Sorry. I—uh. Yeah, I'm an idiot." He already felt like he was overheating.

Kris shook his head. “I’m not complaining. I just thought I should mention it.”

Jongin wiped his hands over his face, giving a small groan of annoyance at himself. "I'm probably going to be garbage during my lesson—" He peaked at the clock on the stove, "—today."

“With whom?”

"Minseok. It'll be my first lesson with elements."

“Oh?” Kris smirked into his mug. “Have fun with that.”

“Uh, yeah …”

Kris got to his feet abruptly, discarding his mug in the sink, and spoke over his shoulder as he left. “Get some sleep, Jongin. You look like you need it.”

Jongin stared after the other man, glad that he had his back to him so Kris couldn't see the dark flush warming his face. Something about the way Kris said his name made him feel like he had just been struck by lightning. Really sexy lightning.

It wasn't until he was halfway through scarfing down the leftovers, turning the conversation over in his mind, that he had realized something.

Did Kris fucking say he didn’t mind seeing him without his shirt on?

Jongin let his forehead hit the counter with a thud, cursing his own slow mind and also sexually frustrating dragon men.


	8. Tarantallegra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> whoops (it hasn't been nearly a year since we updated, shut up)

The next day, Jongin woke unsure of mood.

 

Touring the town had definitely helped the day before, but he was still not looking forward to training with Minseok. So far, searching for his affinity among the other members of the coven had yielded nothing, and he couldn’t help feeling like this day would be more of the same. He tried his best to put on a brave face when he met Minseok after breakfast, but he was sure it came off as more strained than anything.

 

They were settled in the kitchen for their lesson, a single glass of water sitting on the counter between them as Minseok went onto explain his power. Jongin tried his best to listen with rapt attention but couldn't stop himself from zoning out every now and then. He was restless.

 

“—Of course, I don’t expect you to know how to do that from the beginning, which is why we’re starting out small.” Minseok waved at the glass of water. “Generally, trying out any sort of elemental magic starts with just attempting to _move_ the element in some way. Do you think you understand enough so far to try manipulating the water a bit?”

 

"What—? Oh, uh, yeah. I'll try."

 

After all the trials he had been through, Jongin was confident enough that he had enough control over the energy he possessed to do … _things_ with it. Even though he'd been wildly unsuccessful with most of the others, he reminded himself that he had seen results with Baekhyun and producing glamours and to not lose hope. He _had_ magick in him. It was there, he had felt it his entire life, and in the small amount of time he had been in the wiccan shop, he had gotten more control of it than he had the rest of his existence.

 

Jongin focused on that feeling now, gathering it up and reaching out with it towards the glass. His eyes narrowed when nothing happened and he tried again, pushing out harder, teeth gritting as he focused all of his energy onto the glass.

 

A crackling sound cut through the silence of the room, and Minseok sucked in a quick breath. "Uh, Jongin, maybe you should st—"

 

Before he could finish, the glass had completely shattered, shards skittering across the counter. Jongin yelped and fell back onto the floor; Minseok froze the water in place instinctively, particles of ice floating mid-air. It seemed the glass had imploded more than anything, crumbling in on itself rather than exploding out, but Minseok was more worried about Jongin. Still holding the water in place, he scrambled to Jongin’s side.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

Jongin just stared numbly at the broken glass, fighting tears that urged to well up in the corners on his eyes. _Of course._

 

“I’ve … I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone do that to water before, but—oh, you’re bleeding.”

 

As soon as Minseok's words registered, so did the pain. Jongin felt them, little cuts in the skin of his cheek and collarbone where little pieces of glass had been sent flying. He also had a few pieces clinging to the cotton of his shirt like snow, sparkling in the fluorescent light of the kitchen. He didn't care though. The cuts didn't compare to the deep ache he felt in the hollow of his chest.

 

"I'm sorry." His throat was tight and the words came out strained, but it was all he could manage with the swell of emotion that threatened to spill out. "I—I’m _sorry_.”

 

“Jongin, it’s okay. It’s not your fault, it’s just … uncommon for there to be that negative of a reaction.” Minseok wiped away a bit of blood from his cheek. “Really, it’s not a big deal. It just means that your affinity is probably more of an opposite to elemental magic.”

 

Someone else walked into the kitchen then, probably summoned by the commotion. Jongin felt the hollow ache in him throb when he realized it was Kris.

 

“Is everything okay?” Kris looked from Jongin to Minseok and then the glass on the counter. “What happened?”

 

Jongin wanted to leave. He drew his legs up and tensed them to try and lift himself, only to drop right back down, unable to find the strength to stand up. He made a desperate sound, head hanging between his knees. He wished the cold kitchen tiles would just engulf him in that moment.

 

Kris sighed. “Minseok, could you clean this up?”

 

“Yeah, sure.”

 

Jongin stayed in the same position, staring down at the floor. He barely acknowledged Kris when the taller male came closer, one hand outstretched to help him up, instead just shaking his head weakly.

 

“Come on, Jongin. Take my hand.”

 

“I’m fine.”

 

Another sigh. “Have it your way.” Then there were arms scooping him up bridal style, and Jongin yelped in surprise, heat rushing to his face as Kris cradled him to his chest.

 

Jongin protested weakly, squirming the entire way to the bathroom where Kris finally put him down, gently setting Jongin on the sink counter.

 

"Kris, Kris, I’m _fine._ It's just a little glass."

 

Kris ignored him while he pulled out a first aid kit from the cupboard above the toilet and set about treating Jongin's injuries. They sat in silence as Jongin relented and let Kris disinfect the cuts, the only sounds being the sloshing of the antiseptic bottle and Jongin's soft hissing when the stinging became too much.

 

Most of the cuts were shallow, the deepest one running along his collar bone right about the neckline of his shirt where a piece of glass had actually stuck into his skin. It took a few tries to get the sliver out, but Kris was patient, tweezers held calmly between those long fingers, immediately backing off whenever Jongin flinched at the feeling of glass beneath his skin. Once it was out, Kris disinfected it again and placed a bandage over it, doing the same to the cut on his right cheek and another on his neck on the same side.

 

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Kris asked, discarding the piece of glass in the trash can. He packed up the first aid kit too, his gaze never leaving Jongin. “Now, can you tell me what happened?”

 

Jongin felt tears come to his eyes again. He just barely held them back, already feeling like a kid with his feet dangling over the edge of the bathroom counter. “I—I don’t know. I was trying to manipulate the water like Minseok said, and the glass just _exploded_.”

 

Kris frowned. “Exploded?”

 

Jongin nodded, teeth digging into his bottom lip to try and quell the anxiety swirling inside of his chest.

 

_God, he must be so disappointed. He's going to kick me out for wasting everyone's time._

 

“Hm, that must mean your affinity doesn’t deal in tangible magicks then. That explains why you didn’t do well with alchemy, but glamours worked for you.” Kris seemed as if he was going to say more, but then Minseok popped his head into the bathroom, worry etched into the furrow of his brow.

 

“Everything good?”

 

“Yeah.” Kris stepped back a bit, giving Jongin space. “I was actually going to come get you in a moment. We’re having a coven meeting.”

 

"Um, can I change my shirt first?" Jongin asked. The blood around the collar of his shirt was starting to itch against his irritated skin.

 

Minseok’s expression contorted. Kris just sighed again.

 

“Not you, Jongin. This is official business coven business.” He then added, as if realizing how harsh that sounded, “Sorry.”

 

_Oh._

 

"Oh." Jongin swallowed. "Right. Of course."

 

Kris nodded, looking apologetic, and finished putting away the first aid kit. “The others are waiting. We should go. Baekhyun told me to tell you he’ll make dinner once we’re finished.”

 

"Okay." Jongin appreciated that Kris was trying, but he just didn't have it in him to do anything but mope.

 

The two left, and Jongin hesitated for a few moments, sighing before he slid off the counter. This day had just gone from bad to worse. He still didn’t understand what had happened with the glass in the kitchen—why had it shattered like that?—and now he was being excluded from a meeting that seemed important.

 

Logically, he knew there was no reason for him to be mad about that. He wasn’t officially a part of the coven, so of course he shouldn’t be included in their meetings, but the feeling of being left out on top of everything else weighed on him anyway.

 

_Fuck._

It was a familiar feeling. Dread and shame, the feeling of being _unwanted_. For the billionth time since he had stumbled upon the shop not too long ago, he thought to what he once had: parents, friends, hobbies—

 

Jongin blinked, turning his head to look at himself in the mirror. Hobbies. _Dancing._ When was the last time he had danced? That was his life before he had left, before he had given up everything to pursue … whatever this was. What was he pursuing? What did he want? He used to have dreams of being a choreographer, backup dancing for music artists and doing live performances. He had completely forgotten about it all when he became obsessed with the idea that he had had powers. He hadn't been taking classes in a while because his parents couldn't really afford it anymore, but the local studio let him use their practice rooms on evening they didn't have classes. Did they wonder where he went? What had his parents told everyone? Did they even tell anyone? Were they looking for him?

 

Jongin felt his chest constrict and he realized he had been hyperventilating. He stumbled back to sit on the edge of the bathtub, hand coming to clutch at the material covering his heaving chest.

 

This was all too much. He had _nothing_ now. He didn't even really have the thing he left everything behind for. None of the magick they had tried was working for him, and at this point he doubted anything would. He wasn't smart, he didn't really have any other talents besides—

 

Jongin stilled, breath catching in his lungs. He needed— he _needed_ —

 

The brunet stood up abruptly, forcing his shaky legs to carry him out of the bathroom and into the hall. He moved forward, twisting the knobs of every room only to find they were locked. He finally got lucky on the fifth try, wrenching the door open to reveal a set of stairs winding downwards into inky blackness. Without thinking, Jongin descended the stairs, clutching onto the railing to guide him through the darkness. He stumbled a bit as he finally reached the bottom and slid his hands from the railing to the wall it was attached to, relief flooding him when he found the light switch he was hoping would there.

 

The lights flickered for a moment before illuminating the vast room before him. The basement, he assumed, was a wide space with low a low ceiling. It was empty save for some clutter in one corner and a small mahogany end table pushed against the wall the lighstwitch was on. The floors were concrete, smooth and cool beneath Jongin’s bare feet.

 

_Perfect._

 

Jongin stepped forward cautiously, unsure what he was afraid of but wary nonetheless. He stopped at the center of the room, letting out a shallow huff of air as he felt himself relax a smidgen.

 

It had been a while; he really should do some stretches before starting, but now that he was in a wide, private space, he could feel the rusty but familiar feeling tugging at his limbs.

 

He started with a sway. Closing his eyes and humming softly a nondescript tune. His shoulders rolled, hips tilting to the imaginary lilt of a song. Slowly he raised his arm above his head, stretching them up, inches away from touching the roof. He then pushed his chest out, leaning back and tilting his hips forwards in a fluid roll that released any tension he still held in his body.

 

_Fuck, I missed this._

 

It was like slipping into an old pair of jeans that, despite having been owned for years, still fit perfectly. Jongin glided across the floor as if it hasn't had been weeks since he even thought about dance. It ignited something in him that sent tingles through his body. It felt like there was a current underneath crackling beneath his skin, pushing his limbs to move faster, harder. The darkness behind his closed eyes warped as he danced, but he paid no mind.

 

By the time he finished, his breath stuttering and his mind clear, he felt as if everything had fallen back into place. Dancing always released something in him, like a dam finally breaking. A catharsis. He took a couple deep breaths as he relaxed from his ending stance, only to freeze up when he realized he felt eyes on him.

 

The light of the basement greeted him harshly as he finally opened his eyes; he was facing the far wall, his back to the staircase where he knew he had company. Jongin sucked in a shuddering breath before turning slightly to look over his shoulder, his heart seizing up at the view before him.

 

The entire coven stood at the stairs, watching him. He didn't know how long they had been there.

 

_Oh god no._

 

Chanyeol broke the silence first, clapping a few times. “That was amazing, Jongin!”

 

Baekhyun huffed. “I don’t think that’s really the issue here.”

 

“He doesn’t know what he just did, though,” Minseok said.

 

“No, of course not. He was just _feeling it_.”

 

Kris crossed his arms over his chest. “We should call Luhan.”

 

Jongin turned around fully and was about to speak when he caught Chen's gaze, which had been doing a slow crawl along his body. A sly grin curled those devilish lips in what Jongin could only describe as a look of approval. "How much for a lap dance?"

 

Jongin shuddered and wrapped his arms around himself as if it would fend off those wandering eyes. "I-I'm right here you know. What are you talking about?"

 

“I think I get why that glass shattered earlier,” Kris said. “You’re a spatiomancer.”

 

"A space— _what?_ ”

 

“ _Spatiomancer_ ,” Baekhyun cut in. “I told you a bit about it before, remember? About how glamours are a subset of it, and it deals in non-tangible magicks such as telepathy and teleportation.”

 

"Oh … wait, how can you tell? I wasn't doing anything there." Jongin frowned, uable to recall having done any magick while he was dancing.

 

“Well,” Chanyeol began, eyes bright, “You were dancing, and the air was like _whoosh_ and you were like _whooo_ and everything else was like _whoaaa_.” He wiggled his fingers for effect.

 

Kris sighed. He seemed to do that a lot. “You were bending reality as you danced, Jongin. It warped the air around you.”

 

Jongin's eyes grew wide as they spoke. He had done _what_ as he danced? _Bent reality?_ He briefly remembered what Baekhyun had said about spatiomancy before, and it did make sense with how well he was using the glamours, but it still sounded a little out of this world for Jongin to completely wrap his head around.

 

"I don't— I didn't—" He gnawed on his lip, his heart starting to pound in his chest once again after finally having calmed down from his workout. He had an affinity? The relief that flooded through him stole that last of his strength, and his legs gave out from under him for the second time that day.

 

Joonmyun rushed forward before Jongin could hit the ground, supporting him with arms wrapped around his torso. "Whoa there, looks like that took a lot out of you."

 

“It will take a few days for Luhan to come by,” Kris said, “In the mean time, focus on getting some rest. You’ll need it if you’re training with him.”

 

“Ugh.” Chen made a disgusted noise. “Does he have to come here?”

 

"Luhan?" Jongin questioned softly, gratefully accepting a water bottle from Minseok after Joonmyun sat him on the ground.

 

“He’s the only spatiomancer in the coven,” Baekhyun said. “But he spends most of his time travelling. He only stops by occasionally to catch up.”

 

“He’ll definitely be able to help you,” Chanyeol said with a nod.

 

"Oh, um, cool." Jongin took a swig from the bottle trying to keep his cool. It was a little more than overwhelming and he had a million questions, but he was content at this point with the knowledge that he had _finally_ found his affinity. Baekhyun tossed him a knowing look, and Jongin felt heat creep up back in his cheeks as he realized the other could probably feel the happiness radiating off of him. Baekhyun's nearness was also probably adding to the giddiness.

 

Something occurred to Jongin as he finished off the water, handing it back to Minseok. "How did you guys know where I was anyways?" He paused, looking around. “ _Where_ am I?"

 

“The basement,” Baekhyun said.

 

“My cage,” Kris said at the same time.

 

Jongin stared. “ _Pardon?_ ”

 

Kris gestured vaguely. “When I’m in my _other_ form, I stay down here. See the marks on the walls? Yeah, those are mine. This place is to keep me from busting out and frightening all the locals.”

 

Now that he’d pointed it out, Jongin could see the long scratches along the walls and floor, and were those _scorch marks?_

 

"We all felt something." Kyungsoo finally spoke up, causing everyone to turn to him. He stood behind the rest of the group a few steps up on the staircase, leaning against the hand railing. He watched Jongin with dark, calculative eyes.

 

"Felt something?"

 

"You asked how we found you. We all felt something. A shift. A surge of power emanating from this point. We followed it here to you."

 

Jongin swallowed hard. “So … I did all that, bending reality and surges of power and stuff, without realizing?”

 

“That’s common when emotions run hot.”

 

"That's another thing." Baekhyun added. "My empath range isn't all that big, but I could feel you all the way from two floors up; everything you were feeling you were feeling so intensely you projected throughout the entire house. It was pretty intense."

 

“Oh.” Jongin flushed. Great, so not only had they all seen him dancing, but they also knew exactly what he was feeling. Or, at least, Baekhyun did. That wasn’t embarrassing at all. “So … now what?”

 

“Like I said.” Kris’s eyes were hard, intense. “We call Luhan.”


	9. Malleus Maleficarum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two updates in two days??? What??? Also this chapter is mostly shenanigans.

The next day found Jongin in a familiar scene, sitting on a stool at the counter of the shop helping Baekhyun with various tasks. He had woken that afternoon a little disoriented and _very_ sore. After what the others were calling his "awakening", Jongin was taken upstairs, fed a quick dinner, and put to bed. Whatever energy he had released while dancing, coupled with his magick backfiring earlier that day, had completely drained him. Also, he had danced pretty hard without stretching first, and that had honestly done more damage than the magick.

 

As it were, Jongin was confined to the store and was using a funnel to pour various liquids into curvaceous vials while Baekhyun set about doing some inventory. Kris had already contacted the mysterious ‘Luhan’, but, as he’d said before, it would take a couple of days for him to get to the shop.

 

In the meantime, Jongin wasn’t supposed to do any magick; spatiomancy was a hard art to learn, and until the coven had someone knowledgable in it on-hand, they didn’t want Jongin to try anything lest it backfire again. Or, as Chen offhandedly said, _destroy the fabric of the universe._ That alone made Jongin think twice about using any magick until Luhan got there.

 

He was about to ask Baekhyun what Luhan was like when the bell above the shop’s door rang. He perked up at the idea of a customer to break the monotony of the morning, only to freeze when he actually saw the person who’d walked in.

 

The man was _ethereal_.

 

High cheekbones and soft, pink lips were the first things Jongin noticed. The newcomer’s lines were all sharp, pointed, dramatic in their flair, and he walked as if he owned the ground he walked on. Dyed-red hair fell shaggily around his face, highlighting the pointedness of his features and the unending darkness of his eyes. _They looked familiar._ Everything about him seemed perfect, and Jongin could not tear his gaze away.

 

“Hello, Baekhyun,” the man said, his voice a sultry lilt.

 

Baekhyun stiffened a bit. “Taeyong.”

 

Jongin had completely tuned out as they continued to speak. He could only focus on the cadence of this man— _Taeyong’s_ voice; the words themselves got lost among the low tones that sent shivers along Jongin's spine. Things quieted down after a few moments, and suddenly Jongin was _very_ aware that the strange man had been staring back it him for quite sometime. In the back of his mind, he realized that Baekhyun was absent, but he couldn't operate his mouth to ask where he had gone.

 

The red-haired Adonis practically cat-walked to where Jongin was sitting on the customer side of the counter, and Jongin could do nothing but watch as Taeyong crept closer.

 

When Taeyong spoke again, his words were suddenly as clear as day, that enchanting voice wrapping him up and stealing the breath from his lungs.

 

"I don't believe we've met. Got a name?"

 

Whatever had been weighing his tongue down before suddenly lifted, and Jongin had never rushed to speak so quickly in his life. "J-Jongin. Uh, Kim Jongin,” he mumbled, heat blossoming across his cheeks.

 

Taeyong hummed in response, as if he had already known the answer, a teasing little quirk of petal pink lips confirming his suspicions. “Jongin, huh? It suits you.” His voice was a purr. Jongin felt it down to his bones. “I’ve never seen you around here, _Jongin_.”

 

The way Taeyong said his name was sinful. “I—I just … I mean, I’ve only been here a couple of weeks.”

 

“Oh? How fortunate that I came today, then.” Taeyong reached out, one long finger drawing along Jongin’s jawline. His eyes were so _piercing_.

 

Suddenly Jongin felt very _hot_ sweat trail down the column of his neck as their gazes remained locked. A feeling like liquid heat pooled low in Jongin's abdomen, and, to the brunet’s dismay, he knew exactly what that meant. Jongin had an errant thought to pull back, to put some space between him and the sinful vision before him, but found himself pressing closer, their faces a mere centimetres apart.

 

“Taeyong.”

 

The beautiful man straightened a bit, though his gaze never left Jongin’s. “Yes?”

 

“You might not want to do that.”

 

Jongin dimly registered the new voice to be Baekhyun’s, but it didn’t seem to matter. Nothing mattered more than Taeyong, than his eyes, his lips, his voice.

 

“Why not?”

 

“Take a whiff.”

 

Eyes narrowing—for a moment, Jongin thought they were _yellow_ —Taeyong leaned in close and _sniffed._ Jongin honestly thought his heart was going to beat out of his chest. Then Taeyong grimaced, leaning back, and cursed under his breath.

 

“ _Reptiles._ ”

 

And just like that, the world came back into focus.

 

A gasp tore its way through Jongin's throat as if he had been drowning and finally came up for air. _What the fuck just happened?_ Now, looking at Taeyong, he saw that the man was beautiful, but it was … different, somehow.

 

“Jongin, are you okay?” Baekhyun asked.

 

Taeyong made a _tch_ noise and crossed his arms over his chest. “You could have told me Mister Lizard had a claim on him earlier.”

 

“I didn’t realize it was that bad.” Baekhyun put a hand on Jongin’s shoulder. “How long has it been?”

 

“… I ran out yesterday.”

 

“Goddammit, Taeyong, you need to come in _before_ you run out.”

 

“I know! I know, I was busy.”

 

Baekhyun shook his head. “Jongin?” he asked again.

 

Jongin cleared his throat to find his voice again but still couldn't exactly find the _words._ "Um, what...?"

 

“Are you okay? Taeyong can be a bit … well, _Taeyong._ I didn’t realize he was this far gone, though.” He leveled a glare at the red-haired male.

 

"I told you I was busy, okay? And it's not my fault pretty boy over here is radiating frustration; I practically gagged on it in the way in!"

 

“I … don’t understand?” Jongin squeaked.

 

Baekhyun sighed. “Taeyong here is an incubus—one who hasn’t taken his suppresants today.”

 

Taeyong whistled, eying Jongin with an expression of astonishment and slight amusement. "Wow, you're _really_ green, huh? I'm assuming you know what incubi are? They're kind of everywhere in media. Anyway, we're required to take suppressants to kind of chill out the sexual urges and make it so we can comfortably be around humans."

 

Jongin swallowed. He knew what incubi were—the male counterpart of succubi, they lived of off the sexual energies of humans, disappearing into the shadows once they’d had their fill. Most people thought of the painting _The Nightmare_ by Henry Fuseli when they thought of incubi or succubi, envisioning a demon enchanting a human and sucking them dry. “So … you’re an incubus?”

 

“In the flesh.”

 

“ _And_ ,” Baekhyun stressed, holding out a bottle of pills, “One who needs to take his suppressants.”

 

“Whatever.” Despite the bravado, Taeyong took the bottle, quickling downing one without water and sighing afterwards.

 

Jongin waited for something to happen but quickly realized how silly that was. That wasn't how regular medicine worked, so this was probably no different. "So without the suppressant you get ... horny?"

 

Taeyong shook his head. “It’s not that simple, and honestly, it’s hard to explain to others who haven’t experienced it. Horny is kind of the base feeling, but after that it becomes a—a _thirst_ , basically. You need it, you will die without it. Without even realizing it, I start secreting pheromones and glamouring myself, ready to enchant the next human who comes along. The suppressants make me so much less … _manic_.”

 

“So you can enchant anyone?”

 

"Everyone but a certain _priest_.” The reply didn't come from Taeyong, but from right behind Jongin where Chen had somehow materialized without any of them noticing. Jongin yelped and scrambled off his stool and away from the grinning demon, almost missing the sour look that crossed Taeyong's face.

 

“Jaehyun is _not_ a priest,” Taeyong shot back. His voice came out as more of a growl, and for a moment his entire look had changed—horns sprouted from his forehead, his eyes were yellow and slitted like a cat’s, and he had fangs sticking out from behind his lips. Then whatever vision it was passed, and Jongin just saw Taeyong again.

 

Chen, who was lounging quite comfortably on his side on top of the counter, inspecting his nails, just hummed condescendingly. "Semantics. Either way, he's too pure for a naughty little thing like you to have any effect. Watching you pine after him is honestly better than daytime television."

 

“Fuck off, _demon_.”

 

“Make me, _incubus_.”

 

“Um.” Jongin cleared his throat. “Priest?”

 

"I'm assuming they're talking about Jaehyun, a local spiritualist of sorts," Baekhyun filled in, watching the two warily. "Priest is an incorrect term, but it's the easiest way to describe what he is. He's a disciple of spirit guides; he can travel in between the physical and spiritual realm easily and can communicate clearly with what you could call 'The Powers That Be'."

 

“That sounds … scary?” Jongin said. “I mean, travelling to the spirit realm.”

 

“It can be, to an unseasoned traveler. But Jaehyun’s an old hand at it; he knows what he’s doing.”

 

“And Taeyong wants to sleep with him but can’t?”

 

Chen positively _cackled_. "The holy man is resistant to the wiles of any demon and therefore cannot be tempted by this leech’s charm. It's tragic really, an incubus lusting after the one human he can't have. I can't tell if it's poetic or just too YA novel."

 

Jongin made a face. “That’s rough, man.”

 

“It’s not … that simple,” Taeyong said through gritted teeth. “Jaehyun is _different_ , but it’s … ugh, I don’t know how to explain it.”

 

It was then that the bell above the door chimed for the second time that day, and Jongin let out an audible sigh of relief when he recognized Yixing stepping into the shop. He didn't think he could handle if another demon showed up.

 

The druid floated in just as he had before, lightweight and airy, and smiled at all of them. “You all seem rather tense,” he observed.

 

Taeyong groaned and draped himself over Yixing who—to Jongin's surprise—not only let him but returned the embrace, patting Taeyong's head that nestled into his shoulder.

 

“Oh, child, let me take some of your tension away.”

 

“I _did_ just take my suppressants, so I should be okay soon.”

 

“Regardless.” Yixing smiled gently and pressed his hand to the side of Taeyong’s neck. The red-head instantly relaxed, slumping against the Druid.

 

“Thanks, Yixing.”

 

Baekhyun smiled. “I didn’t know you were coming back so soon.”

 

“I heard Luhan was coming back to town.”

 

“Oh.” Baekhyun’s expression changed a bit. “Yeah, he is. In a couple of days. Jongin found his affinity, and it turns out he’s a spatiomancer of some sort.”

 

Yixing turned towards Jongin, looking nothing less than proud of him and Jongin felt his chest tighten in an emotion he couldn't really name. Tears prickled at his eyes but he paid them no mind; whatever he was feeling was probably getting amplified by Baekhyun, and although the more time he spent with the empath the less his amplification got to him, it still had a bit of an effect.

 

"My congratulations to you," Yixing said, a knowing twinkle in his eyes. "Next time I visit I'll bring you a gift in honour of your awakening."

 

Jongin shook his head. “Oh, no, you don’t have to!”

 

“Nonsense. This is cause for celebration.”

 

“Speaking of which,” Baekhyun said, “When is your birthday, Jongin? I meant to ask a while ago, but after everything, I sort of forgot.”

 

Jongin waved a hand dismissively, already feeling himself start to calm down again. "It already passed; January 14th."

 

“Oh, okay,” Baekhyun said, only to pause and sigh. “ _Capricorn_.”

 

"Wha—?"

 

Both Taeyong and Yixing hummed in agreement. Chen, who had quieted down when Yixing arrived, finally spoke up again, side-eying Jongin. "Colour me surprised." He didn't sound surprised at all.

 

Jongin hesitated. “I’m … sorry?”

 

Baekhyun laughed. “No, it’s nothing to be sorry for, you’re just quite obviously a Capricorn. It’s the same way that I am obviously a Taurus and Yixing is obviously a Libra.”

 

"I thought all of that stuff was fake?" Jongin asked, thinking back to article upon article of people debunking astrology.

 

"There is truth in everything," Baekhyung replied with a shrug. "Even if something it almost entirely fiction, nothing is based solely off of lies."

 

“You should think of it as guidance,” Yixing added, “Rather than unshakeable truth. It’s a pathway to understanding, kind of like most personality tests.”

 

“Oh, that makes sense,” Jongin said.

 

“ _Anyway_.” Baekhyun clapped his hands together. “Enough of all that. It’s getting late, and Chanyeol has been too quiet. I’m going to check on him and then make dinner.” He turned to go into the back, only to pause and glance back. “Yixing, Taeyong, are you going to stay for dinner?”

 

Yixing nodded serenely. “I have some things to discuss with Luhan when he arrives, so I will stay here until then.”

 

“Wonderful. Taeyong?”

 

"As much as I love Kyungsoo's cooking, I have to get going,” Taeyong replied despite looking visibly unwilling to leave Yixing's embrace.

 

“Oh, got a hot date with the priest?” Chen quipped.

 

Taeyong hesitated, and Chen cackled.

 

“Oh my God, you fucking _do_. Can I come? I want to take pictures of the sex so you can commemorate it. Or, since I can’t leave this shop, you could take a GoPro with you, and let me experience it that way. Oh … oh, sorry, never mind, you can’t bone him anyway, so there’s no point in having me tag along just to experience _disappointment_.”

 

An animalistic sound rumbled through Taeyong's chest, and Jongin caught Yixing tightening his hold on the incubus, restraining him effortlessly. "Watch your mouth, freeloader, I might just suck you dry one day and use the ashes of your withering corpse as a bath bomb."

 

“Oh, I’m so scared,” Chen deadpanned.

 

“Perhaps you should go now, Taeyong,” Yixing said. For once, he seemed almost tense. “Chen is just egging you on. Don’t listen to him.”

 

Taeyong huffed, turning away. “Whatever.”

 

“Have fun on your not-date!” Chen called.

 

In response, Yixing threw the demon a look. Strangely, the demon actually fell back a step, his eyes widening a bit.

 

Bakehyun rolled his eyes. "Come on, Jongin. You and Yixing head upstairs while I go find Chanyeol. Chen, you get a time out for behaving rudely."

 

“I’m not a _child_ —” Chen began, only to fall quiet once more as Yixing continued to hold his gaze. Jongin didn’t understand how the peaceful druid could possibly intimidate a demon, but he wasn’t complaining. Chen needed to be put in his place.

 

“Let’s go, Jongin,” Yixing said, reaching out for the younger man and pulling him along upstairs. Chen disappeared after they left, a huff echoing from him as he vanished.

 

They visited Kyungsoo and Joonmyun in the kitchen, but both waved them off and said dinner was going to be done soon and to wait in the living room until they were called. They did just that and caught up with each other in the meantime. Yixing had been putting up extra protection wards along the forests and wild life in lieu of some warnings of danger he had gotten recently. After Jongin awkwardly describe how he had come about discovering his affinity, they were called into the dining room and were joined by the others for dinner.

 

It was nice having Yixing there. He was a calming presence, and the others seemed to feed off of it, becoming a lot more relaxed and happy. Kris even smiled at Jongin a couple times, and Chen didn’t bother them all throughout dinner. All in all, Jongin felt like things were looking up. He even offered to help Baekhyun clean up after they were finished eating, but the shorter male just shooed him off to bed.

 

“I’ve got this, Jongin. Get some sleep.”

 

So Jongin decided to do just that, heading off to the room that was steadily becoming less of a guest room and more of _his_ room. He was just about to close the door behind him so he could change when a hand reached out, stopping the door before it could shut, and Tao slipped inside. In his surprise, Jongin didn't contest, giving the other man room to stand comfortably after half-shutting the door in his wake.

 

"We need to talk,” Tao said before Jongin could ask. "About Luhan."

 

“U-uh, okay?” Jongin couldn’t help feeling a little disturbed by how easily Tao had just entered his room. He knew little about the feline-shifter, aside from his tendency to be a cat, which unsettled him just as much as Tao’s sudden entrance had.

 

“You need to be careful of him.”

 

Jongin's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "Careful...?" He trailed off, hoping the other was going to elaborate. He didn't trust Tao to not just spout some mysterious warning and run off without explaining.

 

“Luhan’s training techniques are not the best,” Tao said after a moment. “He can be brutal and terrifying, and he’s not the type of trainer who works off his student’s needs. The others weren’t going to tell you any of this, but you need to _know_ so you don’t go in expecting rainbows and sunshine when you meet him.”

 

"... Isn't that good? I mean, I've had some pretty ruthless dance teachers but it was always for the best."

 

Tao snarled something unintelligible. “No, Jongin, you don’t _get it_. Luhan might actually fucking kill you. He doesn’t care about you or about your future; the only reason he’s even coming is because he wants to, and because he knows how the rest of the coven sees him. He’s a fucking sociopath and he’ll sooner shove you off the roof because he’s bored than actually _help you._ ”

 

The entire time Tao spoke, the taller man had been prowling forward. By the end of his rant, Jongin had his back pressed against the wall of his room, Tao's imposing figure looming over him.

 

Jongin swallowed thickly, fear trickling ice cold down his throat. "It—it seems you know this from personal experience?" he asked, immediately regretting it, afraid of provoking the shifter anymore.

 

“Yes, as a matter of fact.” Tao leaned closer. “Jongin, I’m trying to warn you, okay? I’m not here to scare you, though that might be the best way to get it through your head. Regardless, I want you to _understand_. I want you to be prepared for Luhan because he is not going to hesitate or wait for you, and if you want to get through your training with him, you need to know what he is actually like.”

 

"I may be new to all of this," Jongin began, still a little intimidated by the close proximity but feeling a bit better after what Tao had said. "But I think I know my limits. Thank you for the warning; I'll be sure to let you guys know if I think I'm in danger?"

 

Tao hissed. “Fuck, _fine_. I did my best. I warned you, but you still don’t get it.” He pulled back. “Just don’t trust anything Luhan says.”

 

Then he was gone, slinking out the door in the form of a black cat.

 

Jongin thought about what Tao had said once more as he laid in bed that night. He tried not to let it dampen the excitement he felt for what was coming, but he couldn't shake off the seriousness of Tao's warning.

 

With that uncomfortable ache of anxiety lodged into his chest, he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.


	10. Periculum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is our gift to you--KrisKai flirting. Enjoy.

“Do you know where Kyungsoo is?”

 

Minseok hesitated, thinking a moment. “He may be in the sitting room off the kitchen. That’s where he usually is in the mornings.”

 

“Okay, thanks.”

 

Jongin headed back toward the kitchen, shoulders tense. His last reading with the coven’s resident seer had been unsettling, to say the last, but also oddly helpful. He was hoping now Kyungsoo could help him again. Help him with _what_ he didn't really know yet, which is also something he was hoping Kyungsoo would know.

 

He poised his knuckles over the door to give a light knock when he realized it was alright opened a crack. Cautiously, he pushed it open further and poked his head in, immediately greeted with the sight of Kyungsoo sitting in one of two plush looking chairs in the room—a low coffee table between them with a familiar pile of cards placed delicately on it's dark surface.

 

Ah, of course Kyungsoo knew he was coming.

 

Without a word, Kyungsoo gestured to the chair across from him and Jongin let out a small huff, closing the door behind him and taking the offered seat.

 

“So I guess you saw me coming?” Jongin asked as he made himself comfortable.

 

Kyungsoo’s lips twitched a bit, but he didn’t answer, instead saying, “What did you come here to learn today?”

 

"Good question, I'm honestly not even sure?" Jongin sighed and leaned back into the suede cushioned back of his seat. "Tao gave me a pretty serious warning about Luhan last night, made it seem like he might be the opposite of helpful and I guess it's got me a little worried?"

 

“Luhan is … unorthodox in his methods,” Kyungsoo said. “Is that what you want to know about today?” He began shuffling his deck.

 

Jongin pursed his lips. "I want to say yes. I feel like I should be more concerned than I am, but I feel—I feel like there's something more important? That there's something else coming that I want to know about but I can't really put a name to it?"

 

“You don’t necessarily have to _know_ the name of it, but the feeling—focus on it, and ask that question as I’m dealing.”

 

"I-I feel a change coming." The revelation left him a bit winded, his heart rate picking up as it dawned on him. "Like, I don't know if it's good or bad but it's going to be _something_ , and I'm kind of scared of who I'll be on the other side of it.”

 

Kyungsoo nodded. “A wise man once said ‘when you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.’” He stopped shuffling and held the deck out in one palm. “The top card here should represent that.”

 

Jongin drew in a shallow breath and held it as he reached out towards the deck. As if the tightness in his chest could help keep him together while the nearing truth attempts to pick him apart. The card felt ice cold against the pads of his fingers as he slid it off the top of the pile and flipped it over, the imagery forcing the air out of his lungs in a terrified shutter.

 

Chaos.

 

It was the only way to describe the scene laid out before him. Darkness, fire, people literally _falling to their deaths_ —

 

"The Tower," Kyungsoo announced, his eyes locked on Jongin the entire time, not even having taken a single glance at the card itself.

 

Jongin’s mouth felt dry. He tried to remind himself that the Death card had been good, so maybe this one was too. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as it looked.  “What—what does it mean?”

 

“A card of foreboding, of change and destruction, rebirth and liberation.” Kyungsoo frowned, his brow furrowing. “Major Arcana, _again_. Danger is coming. It’s inevitable.”

 

Fucking _great._

 

Jongin wanted to crawl back into bed and never leave it for the rest of his apparently doomed existence. Misery couldn't find him hiding underneath his bedsheets, could it?

 

“It’s inevitable,” Kyungsoo said again, as if reading his mind. “This is the storm, Jongin. You cannot hide from it, but it does not mean death or your end, necessarily. It means the end of who you are—when you emerge from the storm, you are not the same.”

 

Jongin slumped in on himself, eying the card he still held in his grip wearily as if it were the thing sucking the energy out of him. "I know. I hate that I know, but I _know_.”

 

“It is close.” Kyungsoo re-shuffled the deck. “Whatever is coming, it’s almost here, so you should prepare yourself for that.”

 

"Prepare myself how, exactly? I don't even know _what's_ coming." Jongin grumbled, finally putting the card down onto the table.

 

“Training with Luhan should … help.”

 

Jongin's eyes narrowed at Kyungsoo's hesitation on the word 'help'. The other man's expression betrayed nothing, but Jongin could feel that Kyungsoo wasn't saying something. As much as he wanted to press, Jongin didn't think he could handle anymore unsettling truths at that time. He pushed the card back toward Kyungsoo and sighed.

 

“I knew coming to you would only give me answers I didn’t want.”

 

“But answers you needed, all the same.” Kyungsoo slid the deck into some wayward pocket, his owlish eyes staring unblinkingly at Jongin. “In the end, you won’t regret the decision to come to me for another reading.”

 

He wanted to say that he was regretting it right at moment, but that wasn't entirely true. Just as with his last reading, he felt strangely relieved, and that almost pissed him off more than the results of the reading itself.

 

“Go,” Kyungsoo said.

 

“What?”

 

“We’re done. I have another reading to do. Joonmyun asked to have one after he finished breakfast.”

 

“Oh. Okay.”

 

As Jongin was leaving the room he turned to look at Kyungsoo who had taken out his phone, fingers silently tapping against the screen. "Uh, thank you by the way. I know I'm not part of the coven, so thanks for helping me out anyways."

 

Kyungsoo simply smirked. “Time is relative.”

 

“… What?”

 

“Nothing. You’re welcome, Jongin.”

 

A little confused, Jongin ducked out of the room, heading back down to the shop. He assumed he would be helping Baekhyun again, as he had for the past few days in an attempt to pass the time. Descending from the second floor, he was about to step into the main area of the shop, but paused as he heard voices from beyond the door separating it from the rest of the building.

 

“—That’s not the issue. It’s what they’re bringing with them that worries me.”

 

“We’ve already discussed this as a coven, Baekhyun.”

 

“I know, but … I really think we should give it a second thought.”

 

“They need our help. I will not refuse them, not when they’ve already been through so much just capturing it.”

 

Jongin frowned. That was Baekhyun and Kris speaking in hushed, clipped tones. He had no idea what they were talking about, but it sounded serious, and it must have had something to do with the coven meeting from a few days earlier.

 

Without thinking, Jongin silently shifted closer to the door.

 

"Besides," Kris continued. "It'll only be here for a few days before—Jongin, I don't appreciate _snooping_."

 

It took the brunet a moment before he registered his name, yelping as the door he had been pressed against was wrenched open. The he was staring up at Kris, his fight or flight instincts turning his insides out as Kris looked down at him with an unamused expression. Jongin's stuttered apology was interrupted by a sigh from Baekhyun, whose voice came from deeper in the room.

 

"Don't scare him, Kris. This isn't exactly a thing we should be keeping private anyways. It'll be safer if he knows."

 

Those steely eyes regarded Jongin for another moment, and the smaller male wanted nothing more than to bolt in the opposite direction. He didn't get a chance to, however, as Kris let out a huff and opened the door wider, jerking his head in indication for Jongin to step in.

 

“I—I didn’t mean to snoop,” Jongin said as he moved to stand closer to Baekhyun. “It just _happened_.”

 

“Of course.” Kris looked miffed.

 

“Like I said,” Baekhyun added, “It would be safer for him to know.”

 

Kris again stared at Jongin a bit longer before sighing once more and closing his eyes. “Another coven is coming to town, and they have a … package they’re hoping to transfer through us.”

 

“A package?” Jongin echoed.

 

Baekhyun shot Kris a look Jongin couldn't read before elaborating. "Yes, its very important, and we'll be holding it for safe keeping until it can be handled properly. What it contains is rather ... unpredictable, and it'll have to be kept locked up during its time with us."

 

Jongin just felt even more lost now. “I don’t follow.”

 

“Unfortunately, there’s not much more to tell,” Kris cut in. “It’s just a package we’re holding for a coven, and it’s going to be here for a couple of days—if even that long. Then we’ll send it off to get blessed.”

 

“So is it a cursed object then?”

 

Kris frowned. “Something like that.”

 

A loud, off-beat set of knocks echoed through the room before the door into the backroom opened to reveal Chanyeol looking cleaner than usual. The Alchemist had been covered head to toe in a gray powder that smelled like a mix of lavender and iron just that morning, and if Jongin looked hard enough he could still see some nestled in the creases of his smile lines and crinkles of his eyes as he greeted them.

 

“Oh …” Chanyeol looked between the three of them, something changing in his expression. “Oh, Baekhyun? I need you for uh … that thing we discussed … earlier.”

 

Baekhyun frowned. “The thing?”

 

“Yes, the _thing_. Remember?”

 

“… Oh! Oh, yes, right. Of course. The thing.”

 

Jongin looked between the two. “Um, what?”

 

Kris also looked suspiciously between the two. "I wasn't aware you two had plans today."

 

"We totally do, hah, must have completely slipped my mind." Baekhyun thumped himself on the head lightly and sauntered over to Chanyeol. "In fact, I'm afraid I'll be busy for most of the night and Jongin, you're looking kind of pale there. Still feeling out of it from your awakening, huh?"

 

What? He felt fine. "Actually, I feel be—"

 

"I'd love to stay and take care of you tonight, but unfortunately Chanyeol and I have this _thing._ Kris, would you be a dear and look after Jongin for me in my stead?" Baekhyun fluttered his eyelashes at the taller man, and Chanyeol's face pinched up as if he were keeping in a laugh.

 

“Right,” Kris said. “Sure, I guess.”

 

“Wonderful!” Baekhyun took Chanyeol’s hand, and the two whisked off into the backroom. Jongin wondered what _thing_ they had, but decided he didn’t want to think about it too much. It was probably some strange part of their sex lives—i.e., not something he had any interest in.

 

“They’re kind of … odd,” he said.

 

Kris just sighed. “I hate them.”

 

Jongin was alarmed at that statement and looked at Kris in confusion, "You hate them? That's a little harsh ... _oh_.” Jongin felt his face heat up as Kris gave him a blank look. "Right, you were kidding. I'm dumb."

 

“Yes. Kidding.” Kris looked as if he had been cut from stone. “Have you … eaten yet? It’s a bit past lunch time.”

 

"Ah, no I haven't." He hadn't had much for breakfast earlier either, he was so nervous the most he had gotten down was some toast and a glass of water.

 

Kris hesitated, opening his mouth a few times before he finally spoke. “Do you want to get take out?”

 

"Uh, yeah I'd like that." Jongin forced himself to keep his tone even, but his heart rate was already picking up. Kris was intimidating at all times, but Jongin was reminded then of how frustratingly _attractive_ the other man was as well.

 

“Good. Anything in particular you’d like? We’ve got pizza, subs, Chinese—”

 

"Oh _god_ ,” Jongin moaned, head tilting back in bliss as he thought about the last time he had had Chinese takeout back from the local restaurant in his home town. "I haven't had Chinese in so long."

 

Kris made an odd choked noise. “We … uh, we can get Chinese. Yeah. That sounds good.”

 

Jongin smiled genuinely for what felt like the first time in weeks, unable to mask his somewhat embarrassing excitement. "Sweet, will we be ordering in or do I have to look decent?"

 

“The place is just down the street. We can walk there. Besides, you look gr—fine. You look fine.”

 

The younger man raised an eyebrow and looked down at himself. His jeans were more holes than material at that point after having been washed a million times; they and a couple pairs of sweatpants were the only bottoms he had brought with him when he had left his house. The t-shirt he had on had seen better days as well, it had already been pretty faded when he had left, but it was getting to be pretty threadbare. It was also his only clean shirt besides the plaid button up currently wrapped around his waist.

 

"I look like an extra from a Fall Out Boy music video."

 

“Well …” Kris frowned a bit. “While we’re waiting to pick up our take-out, we could always go get you some new clothes? You didn’t bring much with you when you left your house, right?”

 

“Yeah, but—”

 

“But nothing. It’s no big deal to get you a few pairs of pants and some new shirts. It won’t take long, and then we can grab our food and come back. Sound good?”

 

Unable to really protest against that logic, Jongin nodded. Honestly, this was the most he had ever heard Kris speak. His sentences were usually short and simple—at least, around him they were.

 

They left the shop together within a few minutes. Kris only had to grab his wallet, and then they were walking the streets, the blond pointing out different shops that were his personal favorite. They stopped in a few Jongin liked the look of, and after trying on a couple of outfits in each, he found himself hauling along enough bags of clothes to fill an entire wardrobe.

 

Jongin had tried to protest, but everything he liked, even if the price seemed exorbitant, Kris would pull out a shiny black credit card and pay for it in a heartbeat. No matter how much he stammered and denied, the taller male just shook his head and handed over his card, and Jongin was left with new pants, new shoes, new shirts, some jackets, and even a couple of pairs of socks and some hats.

 

“I—I think this is good enough,” Jongin said a bit later.

 

“Are you sure?”

 

This is the third time they had this exact conversation, and the previous two ended with Kris pointing out something Jongin hadn't gotten yet and then proceeding to ask the nearest clerk for a fitting room. Jongin had to put a stop to this now before the cashier gave him another one of those _looks._

 

"Yes, I don't think I can try anything else on and-" He paused, an idea popping into his head. _Perfect._ Jongin then made a show of swaying a little on his feet, his hand going to his stomach. "I-I think Baekhyun was right, I still feel a bit weak. I think getting some food might help?"

 

It was a dirty tactic, using Kris' obvious concern for him as a weapon, but his thighs were starting to chafe from tugging on different pairs of skinny jeans, and he was actually really hungry.

 

“Oh.” Kris’s eyes widened. “Yeah, of course. Sorry. We can go get some food now.” He waved goodbye to the cashier, who seemed to know him, and they left carrying more bags than when they’d entered. Again.

 

It wasn’t far to the Chinese take-out place, just a couple minutes’ walk, but by the time they got there, Jongin’s stomach was growling loudly.

 

The menu was no different to any of the other Chinese restaurants Jongin had been to, and the familiarity of it soothed an ache in Jongin he hadn't even realized was there. Kris and the kind looking old man at the front desk exchanged nods of greeting, and Kris told Jongin to order whatever he wanted. 

 

After their orders were set, with Jongin trying not to look embarrassed as he ordered nothing but fried things and Kris ordered "the usual", they sat and waited in the lobby.

 

Jongin took this opportunity to put his ridiculous amount of shopping bags down and rolled his stiffening shoulders. Shopping was a _work out_. Kris was mostly silent now, but it seemed he was glancing at Jongin every few moments as if he wanted to say something. Jongin finally sighed, tired of the quiet, and turned to face the blond.

 

“Yes?”

 

Kris looked at him a moment. “Do you feel better now?”

 

Jongin had to bite back a smile. He had figured by the third store that the whole excursion might have been Kris' weird way of trying to cheer him up and while it was a bit much, Jongin appreciated the effort.

 

"I do, actually. Thank you."

 

“Good. That’s good.”

 

Jongin was afraid Kris wouldn’t say anything else, leaving them to wallow in awkwardness, but to his surprise, Kris actually kept talking—albeit after a moment of hesitation.

 

“Jongin, I just want you to know that I’m glad you’re here, even if you’re not part of the coven. Everyone loves you, and we’re really glad we can help you out. We were talking about asking you if you wanted to join officially soon, so please give that some thought when you can.”

 

Jongin didn’t respond.

 

“I—I mean, if you want to stay,” Kris added, “You don’t have to or anything. Wait, are you … are you _crying_?”

 

Jongin _was_ crying.

 

Tears slipped freely down his cheeks as he stared at Kris. He didn't even bother to wipe them up, as he struggled to find his voice.

 

They wanted him to _stay._

 

In his heart, he knew that they wouldn't have kicked him out, but he had been _scared._ Scared that they were going to hear something from him they didn't want to and send him packing. Just like—just like his parents. He had been betrayed by the people he had trusted the most, but here was Kris, virtually a stranger, offering him permanent residency in his life. In all of their lives.

 

“Jongin?” Kris looked as if he wasn’t sure how to respond. He had one hand out, poised to pat him on the shoulder maybe, but he was just kind of letting it hover in the air instead of actually doing anything. “Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?”

 

Jongin shook his head.

 

“Is there anything I can get you? I may have some tissues on me, actually.”

 

"No, I'm good. That just, um, that means a lot to me. Thank you again." Jongin let out a small, shaky laugh. "I feel like I've thanked you a million times today, but I mean every single one of them."

 

“You don’t have to thank me. I would do anything for you, Jongin.”

 

Before Jongin could even fathom a reply to that, the man had come back with their order. Jongin cleared his throat and gathered his shopping bags as Kris took their oder, looking just as grateful for the distraction.

 

Jongin wondered if Kris had special dragon hearing and could tell that his heart was about to beat right out of his goddamn chest.

 

“So,” Kris said as they left the Chinese restauraunt, “When we get back, do you want to just eat? We could … watch a movie …?”

 

"A movie sounds great." It really did, not that having magickal powers wasn't cool but Jongin missed mundane entertainment.

 

Kris smiled. “Good. Let’s go, then.”

 

They walked back to the shop talking comfortably, and Jongin felt better than he had in a couple days. He’d almost completely forgotten about his reading with Kyungsoo earlier, and now he was going to watch a movie with Kris while eating bad Chinese take-out. What could be better than that?

 

Kris opened the door to the shop for him, since Jongin was still currently weighed down with tons of shopping bags, only to have to sidestep as Kyungsoo also walked out.

 

“Where are you going?” Kris asked.

 

Kyungsoo blinked at him. “Library.” He then smiled a bit, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Looks like you two have the whole place to yourselves.”

 

"I'm going to go put these away," Jongin mumbled, ducking his head to hide his blush as he made his way past them and upstairs to his room. He quickly sorted out the new clothes he’d gotten, taking a few moments to admire some of them again, and then went to the kitchen to find Kris unpacking the food and pulling out plates for the both of them.

 

“It really is just us,” Kris said as Jongin approached. “It seems everyone else went out on errands or to have fun tonight.”

 

"Then we'll just have to have fun with each other," Jongin said, immediately regretting as he realized exactly how that sounded. "I mean, uh—”

 

Kris laughed. “What movie do you want to watch?”

 

Jongin hummed in thought as he reached over to pluck a spring roll from one of the containers. "Something super dumb. Lots of action, big explosions, terrible irrelevant plot."

 

“Sounds perfect.”

 

They found a perfect super dumb action movie full of explosions among Chanyeol’s DVD collection. With the DVD in and ready, they sat down on the couch together as they munched on fried take out and rice. Jongin laughed every once in a while at the sheer stupidity unfolding on the screen, finding himself more relaxed than he’d been in a long time. This felt so much more like the life he was used to—simplicity, normality. Magick was nice, but breaks were also nice.

 

Full and relaxed, Jongin let himself sink into the couch. He could feel himself getting sleepy and he should have probably asked Kris if they could continue another day and head to bed but he was just so _comfortable._ He hadn’t realized he’d drifted off until he registered darkness, and sleepiness, and _hands on him_. They felt good—strong, warm hands. He automatically shifted toward them, letting out a little noise of happiness.

 

The hands suddenly stopped and Jongin grunted in displeasure, arching into the touch further. Seeking out the source of the contact, his eyes fluttered open, taking a moment to adjust to the darkness. There was a faint glow that he absently registered was coming from the television, but he was suddenly _very_ distracted as he realized why he had woken up.

 

Kris was leaning over Jongin where he lay on the couch, so close that he could feel the taller male’s breath on his cheek, and his hands were around Jongin’s waist. Not only that, but Jongin’s shirt had ridden up too, so Kris’s hands were placed on the bare skin of his lower back. Where they touched, Jongin swore he could feel electricity.

 

He couldn’t breathe. “Kris,” he gasped.

 

"You fell asleep." Kris' voice was tight as he rushed to explain himself. "I thought I'd just take you up to your room, I didn't realize I'd just wake you up anyways. Sorry." Kris looked genuinely guilty, and Jongin knew the other was telling the truth. He didn't even think Kris was capable of lying.

 

Kris began to pull back, his arms sliding out from under Jongin, and an unpredictable panic shot through Jongin at the thought of Kris _not touching him_. So before Kris could pull away completely, Jongin reached up, hooked his arms around Kris's neck, and pulled him closer, an embarrassingly desperate sound coming from low in his throat.

 

“ _Jongin_ ,” Kris said, the name coming out as a throaty growl. Then Kris began to move closer, his eyes half-lidded, gaze caught on Jongin’s jawline and descending. Just when Jongin thought something was going to happen, finally, Kris suddenly froze.

 

And his eyes went red.

 

Literally. Kris' eyes were a different colour, and his pupils had turned into slits like a snake— _like a dragon._

 

Jongin immediately recalled his first interaction with Kris, when they other man had gotten so frustrated with him that he had _shifted._ He'd seen the pattern of what he now knew were scales and had felt the heat surrounding Kris, as if he might catch fire at any moment. But this was different than that somehow. The heat that permeated from Kris was _different_. Dense and heady. And the look in Kris' inhuman eyes wasn't rage. It was something else.

 

_Hunger._

 

Jongin knew he should push Kris back, just like he knew he should have gone to bed earlier, but he wasn't afraid ... Okay he was a _little_ afraid, but honestly, with the way that Kris had literally growled out his name, Jongin felt a fire growing in his abdomen, and curiosity was a fault of his. He didn't really understand why, but he also felt this intense need to bare himself to Kris. So he did. Jongin swallowed the thickness in his throat and tilted his chin up and to the side, exposing the length of his neck to Kris' unblinking stare. This was dangerous but he _wanted it._

 

Kris growled again, his fingers digging into the exposed skin of Jongin’s back. The heat rolling off of him was almost painful now it was so intense. “Jongin, I …” Kris seemed to be having trouble speaking, and his eyes were turned away, no longer focused on the boy beneath him. “I can’t. I _can’t_. Get away from me. You need to _get away_.”

 

Run. Run. Run. It was what Kris was telling him, it was what his _instincts_ were telling him. But neither of them were pulling away, and Jongin could feel the cold fear of rejection trickle through him.

 

"Why?" His question came out rough and needy and he hated himself for it.

 

“Because I don’t want to hurt you.” Every word was enunciated clearly, strained as if it hurt him to say it. “I—if I shift with you here … I could _kill_ you, so _get away_.”

 

Well that was certainly reason enough. The fear of a very painful death definitely had overridden anything else he was feeling and Jongin scrambled to obey. He unwrapped his arms from around Kris and placed his hands on the couch to push himself up. Kris had unfortunately not moved yet himself so it only served to push himself closer to the other male, their faces only millimetres apart.

 

Kris sucked in a breath and recoiled so fast it probably gave him whiplash, nearly falling off the couch in his attempt to get away. His eyes were still red, and now he had a hand over his mouth—hiding something?

 

“I’m sorry,” he said, then he got up and left as fast as possible without actually sprinting from the room, leaving a vaguely terrified but also somewhat hurt Jongin in his wake.

 

Jongin had sat in the dark for a good ten minutes before he eventually found the will to move. He numbly cleaned up their dishes and turned off the television. His mind blissfully blank for most of the process. It wasn't until he was finally settled into bed that the situation had hit him full force and a myriad of emotions wracked through Jongin's muddled brain.

 

He had so many questions, but they were all pushed aside for the moment as Jongin reached up to brush his fingers over the column of his throat where he had felt Kris' harsh breath against his skin. He’d loved the feeling of Kris over him, and though this couldn’t possibly compare, it would have to do.

 

Jongin tilted his head back, digging his fingers into the side of his throat as if they were teeth. A soft gasp slipped from his mouth, and without even thinking about it, his other hand strayed down to palm himself desperately through the fabric of his boxers. Soft moans and whines followed as Jongin kept his fingers on his throat—not too hard so he didn’t leave marks, but enough to give the sensation he wanted.

 

God, he was so high-strung, he was already hard.

 

Not that he had many relationships in his life, but the few he had were all quite physical, and Jongin was no stranger to the intimacies of sex. Being a dancer generated a lot of adrenaline, and he would often seek release after a particularly passionate class or routine to try and take the edge off.

 

This was a different kind of desperation though. He had known what it felt like to be wanted, but there was something about the hunger is Kris' piercing stare that sent shivers through him.

 

It didn't take long for him to desperately tug down his underwear, uncaring as the waistband dug into the flesh of his spread thighs. Pre-cum leaked from the tip of his cock as he gathered it in his hand, groaning with each pump. He couldn’t stop thinking about the way Kris had been leaned over him, boxing him in, pressing him into the couch. He couldn’t stop thinking about Kris fucking him into the cushions of that same couch, his eyes gone red and heat radiating from him like a furnace.

 

Jongin bit his lip to keep himself quiet. He didn’t know if anyone else was back yet, but he didn’t want them to hear him; he especially didn’t want Kris to hear him. Though, maybe he did. Maybe if Kris heard, he would join him.

 

_Get away from me._

 

He decided to keep himself quiet.

 

Kris said he had been trying to bring Jongin to his room. Jongin imagined Kris laying him down gently—would Kris have taken his clothes off for him? Those big hands undressing him. _Man-handling him._

Jongin whimpered softly as he reluctantly pulled his hand away from his throat to pull up his shirt, rucking it up under his armpits and pressing his chin down to his chest to keep it up. He let his palms glide along his chest, imagining they were broader, warmer. His whole body jolted as he brushed a nipple and he circled his fingers around the bud as it peaked up into hardness.

 

He was so close now, embarrassingly close. It had been too long. Any other time, Jongin would have stretched himself open, imaginging Kris sinking into him—the man was probably _huge_ , holy shit—but he was already too far-gone. He needed his release, so he let his rhythm speed up, one hand still running along his bared chest and waist, curving along the contours of his hips as he felt the coil in his abdomen tighten, tighten, _tighten_.

 

Once more, those eyes, ferocious with animalistic hunger, flashed through Jongin's mind, and it was all he needed to tip over. His back bowed against his mattress, a strangled moan of what was definitely Kris's name catching in the air as he spilled messily over his fingers. He rode out the feeling, reveling in the oversensitivity that sent shocks through the muscles of his thighs.

 

It took him a while to come down, but once he did, he found himself staring at the ceiling, a single thought on repeat in his head.

 

_I’m fucked._


	11. The Tower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sigmund Freud would write gay fanfic with us.

Kris wasn’t around the next morning.

 

Jongin found himself looking for the tall blond everywhere, wanting to ask him about the night before and what it meant, but apparently he’d gone out to run a few errands. Restless, stuck in the shop, Jongin felt himself zoning out, dropping books and trinkets so often that Baekhyun finally sent him away just so he didn’t break anything.

 

Given a simple list—coffee, milk, and some sweetener—Jongin made his way to the local market, dejected and still kind of out of it even as he picked out the items he needed and headed to the cash register.

 

"Ah, excuse me, sir. It seems you dropped this."

 

Jongin paused putting his items on the conveyor belt to turn towards the voice.

 

The owner of the voice turned out to be the most unassuming man Jongin had ever laid eyes on. He was beautiful, but in an innocent way, his large doe eyes juxtaposd by high cheekbones, a sharp jawline, and dyed-blond hair. He smiled softly, holding out the box of sweetner Jongin had grabbed. It must have fallen from his basket.

 

“Oh, thanks.” Jongin took the box, smiling in return.

 

"No problem, coffee without any sweetness is just a tragedy. You look like you could use some yourself right about now, rough night?" The stranger asked, his tone light and conversational as he set set his own few items on the belt behind Jongin's.

 

Jongin ran a hand through his hair. “You could say that.” More like _disaster night_ , but he wasn’t about to tell this random stranger that. “Anyway, are you new to town? I mean, I haven’t been here long, but you don’t seem like you live here.” He wasn’t sure if it was the way the man dressed or just the way he looked in general, but he definitely didn’t seem like a local.

 

"Sharp eye, I actually came here on recommendation. I heard there was a certain shop here that could maybe aid me in some troubles of a ... superstitious nature. I don't suppose you might know which one I'm talking about?"

 

Jongin perked up. “Like, a wiccan shop? I actually … sort of work there. I could show you the way, if you want? It’s just down the road a bit.”

 

The mans resulting grin was as bright as the sun and Jongin couldn't help but swoon a bit. _Boy_ was this guy super attractive.

 

"That would be tremendously helpful, Jongin."

 

Jongin finished with his purchases and waited for the other man to do so, chatting amicably about good places to go to around town—coffee shops and clothing stores and restauraunts. Jongin wasn’t the most well-versed in the area, but he had been around it enough the past few days that he could get around and point people in the direction of good food and shopping. They coversed more on the way to the shop, and Jongin found he was really enjoying himself. He felt a lot better than he had earlier.

 

The bell above the door rang its cheery note as Jongin and his new friend entered. He was excited to tell the others about this really nice guy who was interested in the shop. Baekhyun had just emerged from the back, so Jongin set the groceries down on the counter, gesturing to the beautiful blond boy behind him.

 

“Hey, Baekhyun, I met this guy at the market. He’s apparently really interested in the shop, and—why are you looking at me like that?”

 

"Jongin." Baekhyun started warily, looking back and forth between the two. "I'm afraid he's been toying with you."

 

"Aww, is that any way to greet your dear old friend who has been gone for so _long_?”

 

Jongin deflated a little. “What do you mean?”

 

“That’s Luhan.”

 

The blond in question gave a little bow, grinning wickedly. “At your service, Jongin.”

 

“But …” Jongin faltered, a sense of betrayal rising in him. “Why did you act like … I mean, I don’t understand?”

 

And then it dawned on him. The man had been calling Jongin comfortably by his name the entire time and Jongin didn't remember having introduced himself _once._

 

"Sorry kid, you just looked so sweet and mopey that I couldn't help but tease you a bit," Luhan said, not sounding very sorry at all. "No hard feelings, right?"

 

 _No hard feelings?_ After the shit that happened the night before, Jongin had already been down. Now he was just pissed off. This man—he thought he was just some kind stranger interested in wicca and the shop, but it turned out to be Luhan, the guy who was supposed to train him, the guy Tao warned him about.

 

_He’s a fucking sociopath and he’ll sooner shove you off the roof because he’s bored than actually help you._

 

He wanted to spit in this fucker’s face, but he also felt like that would be a terrible idea. There was a light in Luhan’s eyes—a challenge, as if he was egging Jongin on, daring him to snap back, to give in to the prod.

 

“Yeah, sure,” he said, with some difficulty, “No hard feelings.”

 

"I thought I could smell mischief." There was mirth in Yixing's voice as he entered the room, drifting across the floor over to Luhan.

 

“Yixing!” Luhan threw up his arms, rustling the bag he held from his purchase at the market. “I got you some candy~”

 

Delight lit up Yixing's face and the druid immediately made grabby hands, humming excitedly as the bag of goodies was placed in his hands. "You spoil me, wanderer."

 

Luhan grinned. “Always.” He then clapped his hands together, turning back toward Jongin. “Now, where is our almighty leader? I should have a few words with him before I begin … _training_ with our Jongin here.”

 

Baekhyun’s expression was pained. “He had some errands to run.”

 

“Oh? How annoying. I suppose we can get right to the training, then.”

 

Jongin was tempted to rebel and say that he was much too tired to do any magick but immediately pushed that thought away. He couldn't let his pettiness get in between his goals. He was warned of Luhan's nature but he was also told of his immense power. Besides, he could use the distraction.

 

“Is … that a good idea?” Baekhyun asked. He was acting really strange.

 

Luhan waved him off. “Oh, don’t worry. I won’t break him _too_ much.” He pointed at Jongin then, his eyes again shining with that challenging light. “You, follow me. We’re going down to the basement.”

 

Jongin nodded in acknowledgment and followed Luhan deeper into the house, trying not to feel irritated at how easily Luhan was navigating through it. Just before he went down the stairs to the basement behind Luhan, however, he was surprised by Baekhyun coming up behind him and stopping him short.

 

“Jongin,” the smaller man said, “Are you … sure about this? We can wait until Kris gets back. You don’t have to go with him now.”

 

Jongin pursed his lips and took in Baekhyun's nervous body language, the obvious worry in his words. "It kind of seems like you don't really want me to, Bakehyun. Is there something I should know about?"

 

Baekhyun glanced around him. Luhan was standing halfway down the stairs to the basement, grinning up at them. He waved.

 

“I don’t like his methods,” Baekhyun said finally, turning back to Jongin. “He’s not … the best word for him would be _ruthless_. He doesn’t care about anything but results, and I don’t want you to get hurt. He might actually reign it in a bit if Kris is here, but without him … I don’t know what he’ll do.”

 

"You're the second person to tell me that." Jongin grumbled, still undeterred. "I'll be fine, if he pushes me too hard I'll just walk out. Besides--" Jongin felt his jaw tighten, memories of last night playing like a silent film in his minds eye. "I doubt Kris would want to see me right now anyways."

 

Without another word he turned away from Baekhyun, taking the stairs two at a time and ignoring the entertained look Luhan was giving him.

 

"Don't worry, Baek, I'm a _great_ babysitter. It's even on the house this time." Luhan grinned again. Jongin found it unsettling, but not enough to take away from his determination.

 

“So,” he said, falling into step behind the blond as they descended into the basement. “Where do we start with this?”

 

“Well, we need to figure out what type of spatiomancy you’re attuned to,” Luhan began, maneuvering down the last few steps. They were in the same area now that Jongin had danced in just a couple days earlier, frustrating and affinity-less. The claw marks along the walls made his heart ache now though.

 

_Kris._

 

“There are many different types,” Luhan continued, “Telekinesis, teleportation, and the distortion of the strings of the universe such as warping and matter manipulation.”

 

Jongin nodded. “The others said that I warped reality when I discovered my affinity.”

 

“Yes, the dancing. I heard.”

 

Luhan almost sounded impressed. _Almost._

 

"How do we go about testing all of them?" Although they knew then that this was in fact his affinity, Jongin was a bit nervous about whatever trials he was about to face. He didn't want another repeat of the glass incident.

 

“Oh, I’ve got a few ideas.” Luhan reached into his back pocket, pulling out a packet of candies and chucking it at Jongin’s head. It smacked him right in the face, falling to the floor to land with a cartoonish _slap_.

 

“What the fuck?” Jongin held his stinging cheek.

 

Luhan shrugged. “Well, I suppose it’s not telekinesis.”

 

Jongin hoped his glare would burn holes right into Luhan's stupid fucking face. Unfortunately, that wasn't one of his powers either.

 

“Let’s try matter manipulation next,” Luhan said, moving on without a hitch. “You did manage to do that before, but it may have been your natural affinity to spatiomancy.”

 

“Can you only use one part of spatiomancy?”

 

“No, of course not. I am a master of all of them, but I’ve been working at it for a _very_ long time. A practicioner of spatiomancy will have a part of it they’re naturally drawn to, but they’ll have to work a bit more on the other aspects of it. It’s the same with other magicks as well, which is why Minseok is drawn to ice even though his affinity is technically elemental magick.”

 

"Can you use all of them at once?" Jongin's irritation was melting away, his curiosity rearing its head once more and replacing any other thoughts. Perfect.

 

“Aside from not being practical, if you tried, it could possibly rip apart space-time, so don’t do that, if you please.”

 

"Oh, right."

 

“Indeed.” Luhan stared at him a moment. “Now, matter manipulation is quite simple to accomplish. It has many great uses—for example, if you’re falling, you can manipulate a nearby platform to catch you, but you can also use it to create superior glamours.”

 

“Superior glamours?”

 

“Yes. Normal glamours work off of blind spots, adding suggestions into people’s minds. This is why they don’t work for the trained practitioner who knows how to spot them. But matter manipulation glamours, _superior_ glamours, work with actually manipulating reality, thus they can’t be seen through by anyone save a fellow spatiomancer who _knows_ what you’re doing and can peak through the threads of the universe to see the truth.”

 

Jongin nodded slowly, taking it all in. "I did pretty well with glamours. It was only changing physical features like hair colour and stuff. Are superior glamours like ... going invisible? Or looking like a different thing entirely?"

 

“Exactly. You catch on quick.” Luhan smiled a bit, and this time it seemed almost genuine. “You can make yourself invisible, change entire places so they look different, or even make yourself look like a different person. I wouldn’t recommend holding them for too long, though. They can be straining.”

 

"Wait _what_?” Jongin stared wide-eyed and Luhan. "You can change the _environment_? Like, make the city look like a desert or something?"

 

“Not on that large of a scale, no. Perhaps from far away, though the mirage would fall apart if you got close. Think more buildings and houses, cloaking them or, yes, changing the environment around them if need be. But enough exposition, let’s get on to the actual reality manipulation.”

 

Jongin agreed eagerly, his excitement back in full force. This all sounded so _cool_. Not that the other types of magick the other coven members had shown him weren't awesome, but this was just mind-blowing. It almost felt the same as Chanyeol's alchemy, science and magick and _awesomeness_.

 

“So now you need to learn how to see the threads of reality, because that is the basis of all spatiomancy. You need to _see_ them before you can do anything else.” Luhan stepped closer, reaching out with one hand. “Reach out like this and close your eyes. _Feel_ with your magick, and find the threads of reality. Tell me once you see them.”

 

Jongin followed the instructions, the darkness behind his closed eyes greeting him like a warm blanket. It wrapped around him, and he could almost see his outstretched hand in the void of his mind's eye. He focused on what Luhan described to him. Threads, literal threads criss-crossing and connecting everything to each other. Slowly but surely the image began to fill in, fuzzy at first and getting cleared as he concentrated.

 

Red. Bright red strings. Some were thicker than others, some more frayed and looking like they could snap at any moment. He reached out further to the closest one, letting his fingers hover over the string, unsure of what to do next.

 

“Good,” Luhan said. “Now that you can see them, try to _move_ them. Use your will to part the threads, and cloak the scratches along the walls in here.”

 

Jongin winced but refocused his thoughts quickly. He wasn't here to think about Kris right now. He reached out once more, feeling for the right thread and humming when his fingers came in contact with it. It was worn, but not as frail as some of the others. It was a bit of a darker red too, more like a maroon. It looked old but strong. He imagined what it would have looked like when it was new, bright and tightly woven, not a fibre out of place. Jongin used the tips of his fingers and pressed down, pulling the string softly, surprised at the amount of give.

 

Luhan was quiet at first, but then he released the softest of gasps. In response, Jongin opened his eyes, still holding onto the string. He could see them all now—threads not just in his mind’s eye, but in reality as well, a bit softer and out of focus here, but still visible. And the scratches on the wall Luhan told him to cloak were gone, disappeared as if they’d never been there.

 

“Impressive,” Luhan said. “Release the thread now, though. It should be tiring since you’re not used to it.”

 

It was. Jongin could feel a bit of a headache coming on, the pain lifting as he let go of the string. He kept the vision of the threads up though, attempting to trace them to their sources but ultimately winding up with an even bigger headache.

 

"Reality is complicated.”

 

Luhan nodded. “Let go of them _now_ , Jongin, before it starts to drain you.”

 

Jongin did so, sighing a bit in response.

 

“Manipulation of the threads will get easier as time goes on. Now, you did quite well with that, but I don’t think that’s your natural talent in spatiomancy. Let’s try teleportation next. We can try telekinesis again later.”

 

Jongin rolled his shoulders, lifting a hand to massage the back of his neck to try and alleviate the growing pressure there. "Sounds good, how do we do that?"

 

“I’ve got an idea.”

 

Luhan was suddenly in his face, grabbing him by the shirt collar, and the world around them shifted and warped. Jongin could feel wind on his face, and it took him a moment to realize he was outside. It took him a moment longer to realize there was nothing below his feet but air and a three-story drop.

 

“Luhan!” he gasped, scrabbling for a hold. The blond was standing in front of him, one arm outstretched, holding him in place with telekinesis. It looked like they were on the roof of the shop, and Luhan was dangling him over the edge.

 

"Your awakening happened during a time of stress and passion, inciting a similar reaction should get similar results, don't you think?" Luhan stated casually, as if discussing the best way to solve a math problem. "Feeling passionate about anything in particular at this moment, Jongin?"

 

“I’m feeling passionate about not fucking dying!”

 

“Good. Keep feeling that, then.”

 

Below, Jongin could see people milling about, going about their day as if there wasn’t some maniac holding him over the edge of a roof.

 

“Oh, I’m cloaking us,” Luhan said, “They can’t see or hear anything. But that’s not the point here. The point is that I want you to focus on _not dying_. Think about everything you can do not to die.”

 

Then he let go.

 

In movies, scenes like this always happened in slow motion. The protagonist is thrown out a helicopter, jumps off of a burning building, or is leaping to safety towards the other side of a cliff.

 

For Jongin, everything is happening too fast.

 

He wanted to scream but found the breath stolen from his lungs, and all he could think of was going back. Feeling the weight of himself pressing down onto the balls of his feet connected to the flat surface of the roof.

 

He couldn't see it but he could feel the end approaching, he could _feel_ the concrete getting closer.

 

_No no no nonononono. NO._

 

" _Jongin!_ "

 

Wind whistled in his ears as he clenched his eyes shut, wishing he could be back on the roof, that he’d heeded Tao and Baekhyun’s warnings, that he never met Luhan that day, that he’d never made any of the decisions bringing him to this moment—

 

Then there was ground beneath his feet.

 

Jongin opened his eyes. He wasn’t falling anymore. He was standing on the roof behind Luhan, and the blond was grinning at him, hands on his hips.

 

“Teleportation,” he said. “I figured.”

 

And then Jongin was on his knees, shaking arms wrapping around himself as he gasped for air.

 

"Oh, don't be so dramatic. I was going to stop you if I thought you were actually going to hit the ground." Luhan huffed, his eyes snapping to the entrance of the roof as the door slammed open.

 

"Luhan, you _reckless_ —!”

 

"Hello to you too, Kris."

 

Jongin was jolted out of his shock and looked up to see that Kris was indeed there, his hulking figure tense and as he strode furiously towards Luhan. As he got closer, Jongin could see he was breathing hard, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

 

“You’re done,” Kris said.

 

“But I haven’t even—”

 

“You’re _done_ , Luhan!” His eyes flashed red, scales popping out against his skin. “Get out of here before I expel you from the coven!”

 

Luhan let out a long suffering sigh and looked towards Jongin once more who flinched back. "Let me know when you want to continue."

 

And just like that, he was gone.

 

“Fucking _hell_ ,” Kris bit out before he turned to Jongin, dropping to his knees at the younger male’s side. “Fuck, Jongin, are you okay? I—I saw you falling.”

 

A shudder tore through Jongin's body at the word 'falling' and he whimpered, curling tighter in on himself. Kris cursed again and gathered him up close, picking him up as he stood.

 

“Come on, let’s get you to the others.”

 

Kris’s descent from the roof to the second floor of the shop was met by worried murmurs and exclamations from the other members of the coven, all of whom were gathered in the living room, and all of whom immediately bombarded Jongin was questions. Kris made them all back off though, saying he was freaked out and needed space.

 

“I’ll make some tea,” Chanyeol offered, rushing off.

 

Kris nodded and set Jongin down on the couch, wrapping a blanket around his shoulders.

 

Jongin saw Baekhyun at the doorway, hovering outside of it but not coming in. He looked pained, and guilt flooded Jongin's chest. He had been warned, and he hadn't listened.

 

A mug of hot tea was put in his hands then, and he grasped it gratefully, thrown back to a similar position many weeks ago when he sat on the same couch with a cup of tea and listened to the coven tell him they were witches and he was one too. How weird that so much had changed since then.

 

He took a shaky sip of tea. _Chamomile and lavender._

 

“Better?” Kris asked.

 

"Not really." He didn't feel like lying. The tea was good, but it couldn't fix almost dying.

 

Tao stood off to the side, his sharp gaze fixed on Jongin. Everyone was staring at him, equal parts worried and yet also accepting, as if they had expected this. Jongin took a few more sips of his tea and decided not to think too hard about what could have happened. _If only it were that easy._ His mind kept replaying what had happened up on the roof, the terror, the rush of the wind around him as he fell.

 

Jongin shuddered again, clutching tighter to his mug.

 

“I’m so sorry, Jongin,” Kris said. “I … I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this.”

 

Tao scoffed.

 

"This is all of our faults," Joonmyun said, his usual kind smile replaced with a grim look. "We all voted on this and allowed it. Some of us opposed it more than others, but in the end we let it happen anyways. We’re _all_ sorry, Jongin."

 

“Yeah, it’s so surprising,” Tao said.

 

Kris gave him a look, and the shifter backed off, hands up.

 

“What can we do to make you feel better?” Kris asked, turning back to Jongin.

 

"I-I don't know." Jongin replied.

 

"Perhaps we should give Jongin some more space. We're all worried for him, but there is not much all of us can do for him right now," Yixing chimed in, an unreadable expression on his face.

 

Kris frowned. “Yeah, you may be right.”

 

“It would probably be best for him to go to bed,” Kyungsoo said. “All of this has to have been exhausting, and … he could use the rest.”

 

Jongin didn't really feel sleepy at all. In fact he didn't think he'd be sleeping for the next couple nights. "Yeah, that sounds good."

 

“Good.” Kris looked as if he wanted to say more, but then he shook his head and stood, waving the others off. “All right, then. Go and get some rest. We can discuss things more in the morning.”

 

Everyone else slowly trickled out. Jongin thought he heard someone ask where Luhan was, but he really couldn’t care in that moment. Kris and Baekhyun kept giving him worried looks, and though he was exhausted physically, he really didn’t think sleep was something he’d be able to get.

 

“Goodnight,” he said anyway, trudging off to his room, blanket still draped around his shoulders and cup of tea clutched in his hands.

 

He hadn't bothered changing or even getting under the covers. Jongin just sat on his bed with his legs drawn up to his chest, back pressed against the headboard. He took another sip of his lukewarm tea and rested the mug against his raised knees.

 

Just then the door swung open a bit, and a familiar black cat slunk into the room. Its green eyes stared at Jongin a moment.

 

“Are you here to say _I told you so_?” Jongin asked bitterly, “Because I don’t want to hear it.”

 

Tao meowed before he jumped up onto the bed, curling up beside Jongin and purring softly.

 

Jongin said nothing then, watching the mass of fur for a moment before sighing once more and dropping a hand to rub behind Tao's ears in silent gratitude.


	12. Pandora

Jongin slept little.

 

Tao stayed with him all the next day, and Jongin didn’t leave his room. The other members of the coven came by to bring him food and check up on him, but his responses were mostly mechanical; he was on autopilot. When the others weren’t in the room, he mostly laid in bed and stared up at the ceiling, absently petting Tao and taking comfort in his warmth.

 

He had so many questions, most of which boiled down to _why_ , but his mouth just never formed the right words. He didn’t see Luhan all day—wasn’t even sure if the blond was in the shop or not. Kris had told him to leave, so Jongin assumed he had. _Good._ He didn’t think he could handle seeing him again right now.

 

Logically, Jongin knew he would have to train with the blond again. Luhan was the only other spatiomancer in the coven, the only one who knew how to train him in his affinity, but he didn’t want to think of that. Thinking of Luhan made him think of falling, so Jongin cleared his mind and thought of nothing, and the day passed.

 

Sleep finally came to him later that night, but it was fitful. When he dreamed, he saw red strings across reality, holding the universe together. He grabbed at them, trying to hold on, only to have them snap beneath his weight.

 

And he fell until morning.

 

 

 

 

 

Knowing he couldn't just hide in his room forever, Jongin made his way to the kitchen after waking up. Looks like Kyungsoo had tipped Baekhyun off about Jongin joining them that morning, because when he entered the kitchen, there was a stack of pancakes at least a foot high and a growing pile of bacon. Baekhyun beamed at him from his position at the stove.

 

"Jongin! Feeling any better?"

 

Jongin didn’t have the heart to lie, so he just shrugged and sat down at the table. This didn’t seem to bother Baekhyun. The shorter man just piled a plate high with food and set it down in front of Jongin, adding a glass of cold milk on the side.

 

“Let me know if you need any more,” he said.

 

Jongin nodded, already reaching for a perfectly crispy piece of bacon. It tasted just as good as it looked, and Jongin felt a small warmth blossom in his chest as he watched Baekhyun continue to cook. The brunet was humming softly as he worked, and Jongin let the sound soothe the tension in his body.

 

He had heard Baekhyun sing plenty in his time at the shop, and it was honestly mind-blowing every time. The first time Jongin had heard him absently sing along with the radio, he had immediately complimented him. Bakehyun just laughed it off with a "You should hear Kyungsoo, he's got some real pipes. Chen too, he's the wild-card on Karaoke nights."

 

Joonmyun walked into the kitchen then, his expression brightening a little when he saw Jongin. “Hey,” he greeted. “It’s good to see you up and about.”

 

Jongin shrugged again. He figured he'd be doing a lot of that today. "I don't usually sit still for very long. Kinda surprised I even lasted a whole day."

 

“The restless type, eh? I understand. Chanyeol is the same way.” He moved over to Baekhyun to grab a plate of food, smiling at Jongin as he turned to leave the kitchen. “Well, I’m glad you seem to be doing better. We were all really worried about you.”

 

Jongin thought back to Tao who hadn't left him alone the entire time he had been holed up. And about everyone who had visited and checked up on him. "I know, thank you."

 

Joonmyun nodded and left.

 

Jongin had a couple more plates of food—“Eat your fill!” Baekhyun said cheerily—before he grabbed a cup of coffee and decided to head down to the shop. Sehun was apparently watching it at the moment, and Baekhyun said he would be down soon. Jongin liked the thought of working in the shop that day; it would be a welcome return to some semblance of normality, a routine he was used to by now.

 

What he didn’t expect, however, was to run into Kris at the bottom of the stairs.

 

"Ah, Jongin. I was looking for you. How are you feeling?"

 

Another shrug. Jongin hated it, but he didn’t have any other response. “Fine, I guess.”

 

“… I see.”

 

Silence reigned for a few moments, and then Kris cleared his throat.

 

“Luhan’s leaving.”

 

"Okay?" Jongin didn't really know how to reply to that. How to _feel_ about it, even. If he ran into the spatiomancer again, Jongin didn't know if he was going to ask him for another lesson or deck him across the face.

 

Maybe both.

 

“Well, there’s something that needs to happen before he leaves.” Kris ran a hand through his hair. “We want to officially induct you into the coven, and all the members must be present for that sort of ritual … so we need to do it before he leaves.” He hesitated. “If you need another day to rest, I understand. We don’t have to do it today.”

 

If this had literally been two days before, Jongin would have been whooping for joy and maybe even crying again like he had when Kris first brought it up, but Jongin could only nod then. He was happy, he really was, but he still felt drained. Regardless, he at least managed a small smile. "The sooner the better, right? Whenever everyone else is ready, I am."

 

“Oh, okay.” Kris looked a bit unsure, but he nodded. “I’ll let them know. Everyone should be ready within an hour or so. I’ll have Baekhyun come get you when it’s time.”

 

"Do I need to do anything before hand?"

 

“Well you should prepare yourself mentally. The ritual can be a bit draining as we all, including you, have to give a drop of blood. You will also need to add a symbol, but we’ll get to that during the induction.”

 

"Okay, I'll be down in the shop in the meantime then."

 

Kris nodded, moving past him up the stairs. Jongin watched him go for a moment before he turned around and went into the main area of the shop, waving to Sehun who lounged behind the counter. Chen was there too, rummaging around on one of the shelves, but he only glanced at Jongin before going back to whatever he was doing.

 

Throughout the rest of the morning, Jongin sat with Sehun and helped him sort through a shipment of assorted crystals they had gotten in the day before. He hadn't seen Sehun much recently aside from when he was gathered with the rest of the group. When asked about it, the younger teen explained that he attended a few classes at a local college for business management. They talked about that for a while until Baekhyun came down, looking excited but nervous as he looked at Jongin.

 

"We're ready for you."

 

Jongin stood, taking a deep breath, and nodded. “I’m ready.”

 

He and Sehun both went up with Baekhyun, following him as he went to the second floor and then to another staircase Jongin hadn’t used before, one that seemed to lead into an attic-like space. There, the rest of the coven stood in a circle, dressed normally. Jongin was a bit surprised; honestly, he’d expected heavy black cloaks, but a few members were even dressed in sweats.

 

There were a lot of candles, however, and in the center of the circle of coven members was a large old table with a smooth bowl on top. As Jongin got closer, he could see that the table was covered in an assortment of odd symbols. A few looked familiar—there was the symbol for ‘horse’, and the symbol for ‘light’—but most of them were not anything he’d ever seen before.

 

“Kim Jongin,” Kris said, gesturing him forward as Sehun took his place in the circle. “You have been invited today to join our coven. Do you accept the invitation?”

 

Jongin’s first instinct was to say 'I do', but that felt a little strange, so he nodded and settled for something equally as dramatic but less weird out of context. "Yes, I accept."

 

“We, as a coven, have been around for many, many years. By joining us, you acknowledge to treat other members of the coven as family, to keep them safe in the years to come even if we are divided, and to never do harm to another coven member—even one outside of ours. We are all family, and we stick together no matter what. Do you understand?”

 

Jongin nodded.

 

“Good.” Kris stepped closer, gesturing to the table in front of them. “All the members must now renew their own contracts, and then Jongin will initiate his.”

 

One by one, starting from Kris, the members passed around a gilded knife and slit tiny cuts across the tops of their middle and index fingers, squeezing the blood from them into the bowl in the center of the table. Once the knife got to Jongin, he stepped forward, hands shaking, and did the same. It didn’t hurt as much as he expected even as he squeezed a couple drops into the bowl.

 

“Now you must add your symbol,” Kris said, pointing to the table. “Draw it in your blood to seal the contract between us all.”

 

Jongin opened his mouth to ask what his symbol even was, but as his eyes landed upon the table he _knew._ With quiet assuredness, he reached out and began to trace the outline of a triangle, filling the inside with a circle and adding curved lines, making it look like the eye of a storm.

 

“Then it is done.”

 

As if Kris saying that was the catalyst, Kyungsoo suddenly collapsed, falling to the floor in a heap.

 

There were gasps around the table, and Sehun immediately dropped down to check on the man, but before he could even ask what happened, Kyungsoo sat up. He was staring directly at Jongin with a bewildered, almost _annoyed_ expression that Jongin didn't really know what to make of.

 

"You ... you have _a lot_ ahead of you."

 

 

 

 

 

The ritual was over.

 

Honestly, Jongin was surprised by how quick it was, how suddenly he was just a member of the coven. His fingertips still hurt, despite the bandages on them, but that was the least of his worries. Once everyone had filed out of the attic, he’d quickly gone after Kyungsoo before the seer could disappear, desperate to know what the other had seen, what he meant by _you have a lot ahead of you._

 

“What did you mean by that, Kyungsoo?”

 

Kris, Sehun, Baekhyun, and Chanyeol were all at the front of the shop now, but Jongin had stopped Kyungsoo on the stairs, his voice low and frantic.

 

Kyungsoo regarded Jongin for a moment, and the younger man feared the other would just brush him off once more with a vague statement about the mysteries of fate.

 

"I could tell you," Kyungsoo finally started, face grim, "But there's nothing you'd able be able to do to stop it. So it's up to you."

 

A heavy feeling of dread settled in Jongin’s gut. All he could think of was the first reading he had with Kyungsoo, the card that had baffled the seer—The Hanged Man. “It’s … it’s really that bad?”

 

Kyungsoo looked away, staring at the direction of the entrance to the shop. At that exact moment the bell rang, signalling someone's entrance, and Jongin swore he saw Kyungsoo _flinch._ Before Jongin could turn to see who came in, Kyungsoo finally answered.

 

"As I've said before Jongin, the universe has its plan for all of us. We can struggle all we want, but some things are just meant to be. That includes suffering." He sighed, running a hand through his cropped black hair. He looked older then, somehow even wiser than before. "Some must suffer fates worse than others to become great in the end; it is up to you whether or not you crack."

 

Jongin hesitated and then nodded. “If I can’t do anything to stop it, there’s no point telling me.”

 

“I figured you would say that.” Kyungsoo looked at him, his expression a bit softer. “If it’s any consolation, the universe has lots of plans for you, so you don’t have to worry about dying any time soon.”

 

“… Thanks, Kyungsoo.”

 

“Anytime.”

 

From the front of the shop, Jongin could hear hurried whispers and what sounded like … chanting? No, praying. He frowned, turning toward the front. “Who’s out there?”

 

Kyungsoo stared at him. “Go and see.”

 

Jongin pushed down the growing sense of dread that rocked his stomach like a theme park ride and made his way to the shop front where the melodic voices were coming from.

 

As if they had appeared right out of the Jongin's thoughts from earlier, a circle of hooded figures were crowded around one of the counters. He stood on his toes to get a better look and was further confused when he saw Chanyeol, Baekhyun, and Kris in the middle of the huddle. And Chanyeol was holding something.

 

If the cloaked figures weren't the other coven members—

 

_My coven members._

 

—who were they?

 

Suddenly, the group parted, and Jongin got a good look at what they were praying over.

 

It was a box. Old but embellished, like something out of an antique roadshow but not in as prime condition. The paint was chipping and the gold fastenings needed a good polish. There was a single black jewel embedded in the center that drew Jongin in like a swirling vortex. He hadn't realized his feet had carried him forwards until a hand closed over his shoulder, stopping him from getting closer.

 

Jongin forced his eyes away from the box, meeting the dark stare of one of the hooded figures. He had sharp features and pouty lips. Jongin was a little awestruck at how _pretty_ the other man was.

 

"Uh, sorry," Jongin blurted out, not really know what he was sorry for but knowing he'd probably done something dumb from the way the beautiful man was glaring at him.

 

“Don’t get too close.” The man’s voice was oddly high and soft. Jongin stared, taken aback. He’d expected a deep voice, not one that seemed to be a gentle whisper.

 

“Jongin,” Kris said. “What are you doing?”

 

“I …” He glanced back at the box, confused and unsure. “Sorry, I just got distracted.”

 

Kris frowned, his brow furrowing.

 

“Someone new?” Another of the cloaked figures asked.

 

“He just joined the coven today, actually.”

 

“Congratulations!”

 

Jongin remembered then about what Kris and Baekhyun said the day before—another coven was coming with a package, some sort of cursed object. It probably had some hex on it to draw people to it, and that was why they were all praying over it, adding an extra layer of protection.

 

“Is this the package?” he asked, gesturing to the box.

 

"Yes, and it is being locked up _immediately_ ," Baekhyun grumbled, nodding to the cloaked coven before carefully taking the box from Chanyeol and scurrying upstairs.

 

Chanyeol chuckled seeing him leave and offered an apologetic grin to the rest of them. "Sorry about him; he gets rather paranoid about things like this."

 

“For good reason,” said the man with the high, whispy voice. “This is not something you want to mess with.”

 

“I’m Hakyeon, by the way,” said the man who’d offered Jongin congratulations. He had bright red hair and a kind smile. “Taekwoon is the one standing next to you.”

 

Taekwoon nodded, his dark eyes never leaving Jongin.

 

“Then this is Wonshik, Jaehwan, Hongbin, and Sanghyuk.”

 

Jongin said hi to them all, somewhat awkwardly. “Are you all staying here long?”

 

“We have to get back to our hometown,” Wonshik said, “We have some business to finish, but taking care of the box was more important.”

 

"We'll be back for it in a day or so," Hongbin added, looking about as tired as Jongin felt. "We just have to clean up our mess and we'll be on our way."

 

“Mess?” Jongin echoed.

 

Hakyeon waved a hand. “The homicides happened before we got there, so that part wasn’t our mess.”

 

“ _Homicides_?”

 

“Don’t worry about it.”

 

Kris looked pained. “Hakyeon.”

 

"Yeah, yeah, let us know if anything happens alright? We'll be in contact." And just like that, the group swept out of the store, cloaks billowing behind them in such a dramatic way Jongin got a headache.

 

“… That was odd.”

 

Chanyeol nodded. “They’re an odd group.”

 

“I should go check on Baekhyun,” Kris said, glancing at Jongin, “Make sure everything is all right with … the box.”

 

Curiosity tugged at Jongin, but his unwillingness to talk to Kris directly stayed his tongue. Chanyeol looked between them with a sympathetic look and Jongin wanted to melt into the floorboards.

 

"Well,” Chanyeol said, “In the meantime, join me in the lab for a bit Jongin? Now that you're officially part of the squad, I got some things for 'ya."

 

“Things?” Jongin trailed after the alchemist, following him into his lab. It looked the same as always, beakers full of bubbling liquids and chalk circles everywhere, the smell of burning things heavy on the air.

 

Chanyeol nodded, patting a metal table near him. “Hop up. I’m going to give you a tattoo.”

 

Jongin promptly did as told, unable to hide his growing excitement. "A hexed one like yours? What of?"

 

“Anything you want.”

 

That was dangerous. Jongin had wanted tattoos all his life, but he quickly gave up on the dream when his parents had voiced their overwhelming disapproval. Now, however, nothing was stopping him from getting him as many as he wanted and more.

 

"Could I, uh, maybe get a couple? Like, if that's not too much of a bother or anything?"

 

Chanyeol grinned. “Dude, _yes_. It’ll literally take me a couple of minutes. I can do whatever. Go wild.”

 

Jongin held back a squeal of delight and brought his fingers up to his lips in thought as he pondered on what to get. He assumed Chanyeol meant symbolic tattoos like his own, but he wondered if he could get some purely for aesthetic. He was never really interested in portraits or the realistic ones, rather geometric and minimalist designs always looked the best to him. Kind of like—

 

"That symbol thing I put on the table. I don't really know where it came from but it kinda felt right. Maybe we could start with that?"

 

“Can do.” Chanyeol grabbed a nearby cloth and what looked like bottles of paint. “I remember it. What color do you want, and where do you want it?”

 

"Black, and how about on my wrist? My left one."

 

Chanyeol nodded, taking the black bottle and applying it to a thin brush. He then took to the cloth, drawing the symbol Jongin put on the table during the ritual perfectly, as if he had taken a picture of it. When he was done, he took Jongin’s left hand and flipped it over, applying the cloth and the symbol on it to Jongin’s wrist.

 

“Ready?”

 

Jongin nodded. "More than ready."

 

Chanyeol grinned. There was a flash, almost like lightning. Jongin felt the hairs on his arms stand up, and the skin on his wrist tingled, and then Chanyeol was stepping back and discarding the now-clean cloth off to the side.

 

“All done!”

 

Jongin gaped at the black symbol printed onto the previously naked skin of his wrist. He brought it up to his face, closely inspecting the mark. Just like with Chanyeol's tattoos, it looked completely flat, similar to a birth mark. It looked a part of his skin; it _felt_ like it was apart of him.

 

"That was so fucking _awesome_.”

 

Chanyeol gave a dramatic bow. “Why, thank you. Anything else?”

 

"Yes! But, I'm not sure what? I'd like to get some of the cool runes you have, but I don't really know a lot of them are." While working down at the shop, Jongin had come to know what most of the popular symbols meant—mostly the things like the pentagram and the element symbols as well as all of the astrological ones, but beyond that, he didn't know much.

 

Chanyeol hummed and turned towards a nearby bookcase. "I’ve got an idea. Oh, where did I put it— _ah ha!_ This should help!" he pulled a thick tome from the shelves and set it in front of Jongin. "This should have just about every major sigil and rune currently in use. Unfortunately, it doesn't really have a glossary or anything, so ask if you'd like to know what any of them mean."

 

Jongin stared at the book, a bit daunted by how huge it was. He flipped open the first few pages, his eyes trailing over marks that looked familiar and ones that didn’t in the least, but a few stood out to him. “What are these?”

 

“Oh, these are mostly protection sigils,” Chanyeol said, “Protection from hexes, protection from posession, protection from tracking—stuff like that. But you really don’t need any of that unless you’re planning on becoming a hunter like Hakyeon’s coven.”

 

"Is that what they are?" Jongin asked, flipping through a couple of pages.

 

“Yeah. See any others you’re interested in?”

 

“What about this?”

 

“An athame?” Chanyeol nodded. “It’s a ceremonial dagger with a black handle used in a lot of wiccan rituals. We used them earlier, you know.”

 

“Oh, yeah, I meant could you do this one?”

 

“Of course! Where do you want it?”

 

Jongin thought for a moment. Athames were used in rituatlistic practices, but they were also symbolic of leaving behind or killing the old self and bringing forth the new. He looked down at his arms and nodded. “On my right forearm, with the blade pointing toward my torso.”

 

“Got it.”

 

Another cloth, another flash of transmutative light, and Jongin had two tattoos to show off. He admired them both for a couple moments before thanking Chanyeol with a hug and thickness in his voice.

 

It was then that Minseok called them up for dinner and Jongin very proudly showed off his new additions to the rest of the table as they ate. He got mostly knowing looks and congratuatlions in response, though Tao actually fawned over the tattoos quite a bit, complimenting the choices Jongin made and talking excitedly to Chanyeol about getting more for himself.

 

Honestly, Jongin hadn't known what to expect after officially becoming a part of the coven, but this was more than he could have asked for. Surrounded by friendly, supportive faces, Jongin hadn't felt more at home in a long while. He felt bonded to these people, even Luhan, who had joined them for a brief moment before taking his plate and disappearing once more.

 

He hadn't known them all for long, but it felt as if he had spent his lifetime preparing for this moment. Now that he was finally there, he couldn't have been happier. The coven genuinely cared about him, and before he knew it, he had started caring about them too. He was proud to be a part of the rag-tag group.

 

Chen had popped in near the end of dinner to congratulate Jongin and remind him that being bonded to the rest of them mean being bonded to the demon himself, in which Jongin asked Chanyeol about one of those protective runes against demons and they all shared a good laugh.

 

After dinner, they all turned into for the night, giving Jongin a few more hugs and words of welcome before sending him off to bed. A lot had happened that day—some of which he didn't really want to think about—and a good night’s sleep sounded like the best way to top it off.

 

Jongin took a quick shower before slipping into bed, the sheets tickling the somewhat sensitive skin of his new tattoos. Chanyeol said they would feel tingly for a while before he got used to the power they now anchored in his body.

 

Thoughts of his and Kyungsoo's talk had tried to push their way back to the forefront, but Jongin stubbornly pushed them back down.

 

_Whatever is going to happen is going to happen, right? No use worrying about it now._

 

With that thought Jongin let his eyes slip closed, sleep claiming him immediately.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The forest was warm.

 

Jongin knew he was dreaming, because he’d woken on a patch of moss in the middle of a rainforest. Sunlight slanted through the thick foliage above him, drops of moisture collecting and sliding off leaves the size of his head to land on his nose, drip down his neck. He sat up, feeling relaxed and happy.

 

An odd noise to his right made him start, and there stood an arctic fox, its tail swishing and its eyes the strangest color of ice-blue. Jongin wondered for a moment why there was an arctic fox in the middle of a jungle, then he remembered it was a dream. Anything could happen in a dream.

 

The fox made a chirruping noise and bounced a bit on its hind legs, then it turned and scurried away into the underbrush as if beckoning him to follow.

 

Jongin went.

 

He was led through the deepest parts of the rainforest, over fallen logs and through thickets of brambles and thorns, through waterfalls of vines and bubbling streams that sounded as if they were laughing. The fox would disappear occasionally around corners or into bushes, but Jongin always found it again, its white tail waving playfully.

 

Eventually, they left the rainforest behind, emerging onto what looked like a cliff. At the cliffs’ peak was a door—just a plain wooden door with a bronze handle, leading off into open air. Beyond the cliff was the ocean, roiling with waves and stormy gray. Jongin hesitated, but the fox went to the door and began scratching at it, whimpering as if it wanted to be let in.

 

After a moment of thought, Jongin shrugged and went to the door, grasping the doorknob. He began to push it open, the hinges creaking a bit, and was surprised when the other side offered not the drop of the cliff face, but instead an endless darkness, impenetrable and thick. He moved to push it open farther so he could see—

 

“Jongin, _no!_ ”

 

Then there were hands on him, shaking him awake, and Jongin opened his eyes to find Chanyeol’s face filling up his vision.

 

Reality crashed into Jongin like a cold ocean wave, but instead of dragging him under it brought him horribly into focus. Everything was too much. The light was too bright, the sounds were too loud—Chanyeol was saying something to him, but he could do nothing but wince as it rang painfully through his ears. The alchemist was touching him as well. Chanyeol's large palm was enclosed over his wrist, and the touch sent chills through to his core that had Jongin's insides doing their best impression of an acrobat. He followed the line of his own arm in curiosity, tracing its trajectory until he found at the end of his fingertips a vaguely familiar object of chipped wood and clouded gold.

 

A ... box?

 

Jongin was shaken, literally, out of his confusion as Chanyeol asked him something, panic lacing his baritone voice.

 

"What?" He slurred unintelligibly. _God_ , his mouth was so dry.

 

"What happened, Jongin? Why are you here?"

 

“H-here?” Jongin stared at his hand, only to pull it back once he realized where he was. He was standing in a different room, an empty bedroom it looked like, and the box, the package Hakyeon’s coven had brought, was sitting in front of him on a small table. The lock was undone, but the lid wasn’t open. “Why … why am I … what’s going on?”

 

Chanyeol looked terrified. “You must have been sleepwalking.”

 

“Did I touch it?” Jongin swallowed hard. “Am I cursed now?”

 

“… We need to call the others.”


	13. Sage and Rosemary

It was a familiar scene Jongin was starting to resent.

 

He sat on the couch of the living room while the rest of the coven— _his coven_ —all stood around the room, watching him in concern as Kris asked him what had happened.

 

"Look, I don't know why I was there. Last thing I remember was going to sleep and then suddenly Chanyeol was shaking me awake." Jongin rubbed at his bare arms, his body was running hot and there was sweat plastering the fabric of his tanktop to his chest but the goosebumps on his arms refused to leave his already sensitive skin.

 

Kris’s eyes were narrowed, his gaze heavy on Jongin. “You don’t know if you opened the box?”

 

“No, like I said.”

 

“It wasn’t open when I got there,” Chanyeol added, “But the latch was undone.”

 

Kris glanced at the rest of them, his gaze lingering on Kyungsoo before he looked back to Jongin. “We’re going to do a couple blessings on you, but if the box wasn’t open, then there shouldn’t be a problem.”

 

Jongin sighed and leaned into the back of the couch. He caught Luhan's eyes from across the room. The older man hadn't said anything during the whole ordeal, but Jongin could feel that piercing gaze on him the entire time. He had half a mind to snap at the blond. Before he could, however, Kris called for all of them to head up to the attic to proceed with the blessings.

 

They didn’t take long. Mostly, Kris and the others stood around him and did their chants just as they had around the box, declaring afterwards that everything seemed fine and it was a false alarm. Still, Jongin was happy they had. It made him feel better after waking up right in front of the box.

 

He’d never been one to sleepwalk, so why now?

 

Minseok yawned as they made their way down form the attic, and Jongin felt a pang of guilt. It was pretty late, and he knew that a lot of the coven members had day jobs and other proprieties that they needed to get to in the morning.

 

"If we're all done here, I'm going back to bed," Sehun grumbled. Without waiting for an answer, he spun on his heel and made his way to his room. A few of the others made noises of agreement and split off as well with sleepy bids of goodnight.

 

"How are you feeling, Jongin?" Baekhyun asked, looking as if he were holding back his own yawn.

 

_Confused. Guilty. Slightly relieved? Mostly worried._

 

"M'alright. Tired."

 

"Right, you should go back to bed and we'll talk about it more in the morni—"

 

"Is that a good idea?" Chanyeol interjected, looking a lot more awake than everyone else. In fact, it looked like he had a live wire connected directly to his temple; anxiety roved off the tall man in waves, and Jongin felt his heart sink into his stomach. "I mean, what if it happens again?"

 

“What if … what happens again?” Baekhyun asked.

 

Chanyeol gestured frantically. “Uh, Jongin sleepwalking? I mean, I’m not the only one who realizes how weird it is that he just happened to go sleepwalking and nearly open that damn box on the same night we got it, right? It’s not just me? It’s _weird_. I don’t think we should leave him alone.”

 

“We already blessed him, Chanyeol, everything is fine.”

 

“No, no everything is _not_ fine. Something’s not right, and I don’t think we should leave Jongin alone.”

 

"Well, if you're so worried why don’t _you_ stay with him?"

 

Jongin felt a weight settle on his shoulders, pressing down and threatening to take him down with its crushing force. He hated this. Having to be looked after; feeling like a _burden_. "Guys, it's fine. I'll just watch TV or something to stay awake—"

 

“No,” Chanyeol said, with more force than Jongin had ever heard him speak. “Jongin, I don’t want to freak you out, though I probably already have, but I’m _worried_. Finding you in front of that box was scary. I don’t … I don’t want anything else to happen, so please, let me stay up with you?” He ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t think I’ll get back to sleep anyway after all this.”

 

Jongin looked at Chanyeol, really looked. He saw the deep bags underneath worried eyes, thin lips that were usually settled into a lazy grin pulled tight with tension. His tall frame was shrunken down, curled in on itself in fatigue and whatever else the older man was dealing with.

 

Not finding the heart to deny him, Jongin nodded. "Okay."

 

The others all filed off to bed, Baekhyun glancing worriedly at them before he left, and Jongin turned to go back to his room but decided against it at the last minute. “Want to go to your lab?” he asked instead.

 

Chanyeol nodded. “I think that would be best.”

 

They headed downstairs from the second floor, Chanyeol following along behind Jongin. Honestly, Jongin was worried about how upset and nervous the alchemist seemed. Chanyeol was six hundred years old; he had probably seen a lot in his long life, enough that not much got to him, and yet—

 

That was when Jongin had a horrible realization.

 

"I'm going to make tea, want some?"

 

Jongin didn't respond, frozen at the doorway to the lab and watching Chanyeol busy himself with beakers and burners.

 

The words they had exchanged during that first lesson came back to him, sipping tea out of glass beakers as Chanyeol told him about his past. His parents.

 

_“They were tried as witches, found guilty, and burned at the stake.”_

 

How many other people had Chanyeol watch die in his lifetime? Most humans barely lived to be one hundred and Chanyeol had been around for six centuries. Maybe that was why he was so anxious about this. He wanted to protect the few people, the few friends, that were still around.

 

Jongin’s heart clenched.

 

“Jongin?”

 

Chanyeol was leaning over a small stove in the corner of his lab, staring at him.

 

“Hm? What?”

 

“Tea, you want some?”

 

“Oh, yeah, sure.” Jongin moved to sit down, accepting his cup of tea—from a real cup this time, not a beaker—and waiting for Chanyeol to join him.

 

“Sorry about all this,” the alchemist said. “It’s just … finding you like that in front of that damned box … ugh.”

 

"No, I get it. Thank you for caring." Jongin's chest fractured around the sentence, and he was reminded for the second time that week just how fragile his life was. That no matter how bright the flame, his existence could be snuffed out like a candle by any wayward wind.

 

Chanyeol nodded sagely. “Let’s not talk about that anymore, though. That box gives me the creeps.”

 

They made idle conversation between sips of tea, talking briefly about Chanyeol's research, updates from their last conversation. Eventually they moved onto spatiomancy and Jongin could feel a blush crawling up his neck as Chanyeol complimented Jongin on his dancing from the night of his awakening.

 

"I've seen a lot of things in my years. I'm honestly not surprised by much anymore," Chanyeol admitted, draining his mug and setting it back down on the table. "But manipulating reality through _dance_? That … that's a first."

 

Jongin shrugged. “I didn’t do it on purpose. It just sort of _happened_.”

 

“Hey, I am really sorry about the whole Luhan thing, by the way. I … well, I had hopes that he wouldn’t be a little shit, but I guess I shouldn’t have been so naïve.”

 

Jongin stared into the pale yellow of his tea. "It kind of seems like that was everyone's hope."

 

“Not _everyone_. Quite a few people dissented him coming to teach you. Tao was completely against it, but we all know why that is.”

 

Jongin raised an eyebrow in a silent _I certainly don't_ and Chanyeol slapped a hand to his forehead. "Right, I keep forgetting you just got here. Honestly, sometimes I feel like I've known you for years."

 

“… What?”

 

“Yeah, you know, I feel like we’ve been friends for a long time.”

 

“Oh.” Jongin honestly thought he might tear up. “Okay.”

 

“Anyway, about Tao.” Chanyeol hesitated, staring at his empty cup. “It’s … not the best story.”

 

Jongin was about to tell Chanyeol not to go on if it made him uncomfortable, but Chanyeol continued.

 

"Not that _any_ story that involved time manipulation ended out as a happily ever after, but Tao had it pretty rough between getting stuck in another plane and his existence being removed this reality entirely."

 

Jongin stared. “Pardon?”

 

“What?”

 

“… _First of all_ , time manipulation?”

 

Chanyeol blinked at him. “Yeah, Tao is a spatiomancer. Time manipulation is his thing; it’s why he trained with Luhan in the first place.”

 

Jongin could feel the beat of his pulse against his temples as his brain almost short-circuited trying to wrap itself around that information.

 

Tao was a spatiomancer. He trained with Luhan. He could control _time?_ Jongin's heart stuttered in his chest as he had a brief flashback of falling—No, being, _pushed_ off the roof and being terrified of his imminent and lethal meeting of the ground. 'I want to go back' is what he had been thinking back then, it had caused him to teleport. What if he had thought of _reversing_ what had happened instead? Could he go back? Rewind what had happened and go back to the safety of the basement before his life was put in danger?

 

“… Did you not know that?” Chanyeol asked.

 

“No,” Jongin managed, but it was choked, and he felt a bit lightheaded.

 

“Oh. I thought … I figured someone would have told you, especially after your affinity was found to be spatiomancy.”

 

“I didn’t even know time control was a part of spatiomancy.”

 

“It’s one of the hardest to learn as well as the most rare of spatiomancer abilities, and Luhan doesn’t usually test it as your focus unless it’s a last resort.”

 

He had so many more questions, now about Tao. What trials had he gone through? How long did he train with Luhan? Did he know about his powers _before_ Luhan? What kind of training did freaking _time manipulation_ entail? Does Tao still do it?

 

Chanyeol's earlier comments came back to his, pulling his train of thought to a screeching halt. "You said he got stuck somewhere? He stopped—stopped _existing?_ "

 

“Yeah.” Chanyeol grimaced. “So … well, Tao’s affinity manifested a few weeks after he joined the coven, and we knew he was a spatiomancer because of his dreams. He kept having dreams and levitating stuff in his sleep. Anyway, we brough Luhan in to train with him, and … there was an accident … of sorts.”

 

"Like mine?" Jongin tried to imagine Luhan pulling what he did with Jongin on Tao but quickly dismissed the idea. He didn't think Luhan would still be alive at this point if that were the case.

 

“… No. Time manipulation is tricky. Not even Luhan is good at it, and he rarely messes with it. While trying to train Tao in it, something backfired—whether it was something Tao did or something Luhan did, we don’t know, but Tao got stuck in the astral plane.”

 

“The astral plane?”

 

“It’s also known as the space between worlds. Basically, it’s a spirit realm above the earth. Some people think of it as purgatory, but it’s not. It’s just a spirit world between this world and the next. Regardless of how it happened, Tao got trapped there.” Chanyeol sighed, crossing his legs. “Now, the laws of physics are pretty solid, Jongin. Matter doesn’t just disappear; it’s dispersed. But Tao literally _disappeared_ from this world. The threads of reality tried to compensate for the hole he left behind, so his existence was erased.”

 

“What does that mean?” Jongin couldn’t even imagine something as terrifying as being erased from existence. “And how is he back?”

 

“I’m getting to that. Tao eventually found his way back with Luhan’s help, and once he returned to our world nearly a year later, so did our memories of him.”

 

“You—you _forgot_ him? For a year?”

 

Chanyeol nodded. “He was gone, Jongin. Erased from this world. No one remembered him … except Luhan.”

 

"Because Luhan is also a spatiomancer?"

 

“Yeah. Him leaving Tao in the astral plane for so long kind of destroyed their relationship, though, especially because time is different there than it is here. Who knows how long Tao was there? It could have been years; it could have been decades.” Chanyeol shook his head. “It’s no wonder they’re not together anymore, and Tao doesn’t really use his time abilities after that either.”

 

Luhan and Tao were _together_? Jongin placed his mug on the counter, unsure if he had any strength in his limbs to keep a grip on the porcelain. He felt like he was catching up on a television series after missing eight seasons.

 

“When Tao came back, it was like everything came back together in the universe. All of a sudden we _remembered_ him, and it was … I don’t know. Tao learned a lot in the astral plane, as if the secrets of time and space were beamed into his brain, which is why he can shift into his cat form. He could shift into other things as well, but he prefers cats.” Chanyeol looked up at him, his eyes hard. “Don’t tell him I told you all this. It … it wasn’t that long ago, and it still hurts him. He doesn’t like talking about it.”

 

Something told Jongin that Tao was going to know either way, but he nodded. There was a noise just then, shuffling from above like feet dragging against the floorboards. Jongin looked at the clock on the wall behind Chanyeol and blinked as he realized the time. There were no windows in the lab, but if there had been, Jongin could imagine the sunrise bathing them in its orange glow, light reflecting off the glass jars and metal equipment.

 

“Oh.” Chanyeol stood, looking a bit brighter. “Is that the time? I should go get Baekhyun. We’ll need to open the shop soon.”

 

Jongin nodded. “I should probably get something to eat.”

 

“I’m sure someone will be making food upstairs. Go ahead.”

 

“Yeah, and thanks, Chanyeol.”

 

“What for?”

 

_Everything._

 

"Staying with me, it honestly felt like time flew by talking with you." Fatigue made Jongin’s face feel heavy, but he managed a small smile.

 

Chanyeol grinned. “Of course! It wasn’t under the best circumstances, but I’d hang out all night with you again in a heartbeat. Maybe try and catch a nap today, though.”

 

Jongin hummed in agreement and the two of them made their way upstairs.

 

During breakfast, Jongin was told that a man named Jaehyun was going to arrive soon to do an examination of him. The name was familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. By the time Jongin had taken a shower and changed into a fresh pair of clothes, he felt considerably better but couldn't completely tamper down the nervousness that curled its prickly fingers into his chest.

 

"Jongin, Jaehyun's waiting in the living room for you," Baekhyun said, peeking out from around Jongin's doorframe. The empath looked about as tired as Jongin felt but still offered a small, worried smile. Jongin attempted to return it but knew it didn't reach his eyes.

 

He followed Baekhyun into the living room, eyes immediately drawn to the figure sitting on the couch. The man had a sort of glow about him; an ethereal, almost divine-looking, light seemed to emanate from his person, and when he smiled, the aura brightened. His hair was honey-gold, and he was dressed in a t-shirt and ripped jeans—not what Jongin was expecting, but okay. Jaehyun saw him then and stood, one hand held out.

 

“Hey! You must be Jongin. I’m Jaehyun, the town’s resident spiritualist.”

 

 _Jaehyun. Right._ Jongin remembered now. He was the one Taeyong, the incubus, talked about. The one he wanted to sleep with but couldn’t. Jongin flushed a little at that thought and took Jaehyun’s hand, shaking it before pulling back. “So, you’re here to … do what, exactly?”

 

“Kris just asked me to examine you for any residual dark energies that may have latched on after you touched the box,” Jaehyun said. “I’m attuned to this sort of stuff, so I’ll be able to give you a more definitive answer than the blessings performed on you earlier.”

 

They both sat on the couch, turned towards each other.

 

"I heard you work with spirit guides?" Jongin asked. "I've heard about those before, but I don't really know much about them."

 

"Yes, honestly it's a bit hard to describe what I am, but I'm sure the others probably compared me to a priest?" At Jongin's nod of confirmation, Jaehyun chuckled. "They're not too far off; like what religious priests are supposed to be, I do have direct connection with spirit guides and can act as a line of communication to them and other beings in the spirit realm. In exchange for information and life force, I dedicate myself to them in a life of servitude—which sounds more intense than it actually is."

 

Jongin nodded. “It _does_ sound intense.”

 

“Well, it’s really not. It’s a pretty simple setup. I act as a medium to the spirit realm, and they grant me knowledge and longevity. Not a bad trade if I do say so myself.”

 

“Longevity?”

 

“Well, more like eternity, but saying that can put some people off, so I usually simplify it.”

 

 _Eternity_. Jongin wondered about that for a moment, trying to think what it would be like to live forever, to see the turn of the universe. He wondered if time seemed to pass quicker after a while; centuries felt more like decades than anything, and millenia passed in the blink of an eye.

 

“Anyway, I’m going to do an examination of you and make sure there are no residual dark energies or … entities from your contact with the box.”

 

Jongin swallowed hard. “ _Entities?_ ”

 

“Oh.” Jaehyun’s smile fell. “I may have said something I wasn’t supposed to.”

 

Jongin didn't know how to reply to that. He was beginning to learn that some questions were better left unanswered and honestly, he was tired of asking questions. So he shook his head instead. "It's—it's alright, let's just do it."

 

Jaehyun nodded, looking apologetic but not pushing it. "Alright, lay back and get comfortable. Have you ever mediated before?"

 

Jongin leaned against the back of the couch and pulled his legs up to sit cross-legged. “Not really.”

 

“I can coach you. This is more on me than you anyway.” Jaehyun sat the same way he was, palms resting flat on his knees. “Close your eyes and picture whiteness—just unending, unblemished whiteness. Some people see static too, which is fine. Let it fill up your vision until it’s all you see. Imagine that whiteness overtaking you, seeping into your aura, cleansing it, opening it up. Can you do that?”

 

"Uh, yeah." Jongin let his eyes fall close and pushed away his nervousness to follow Jaehyun's instructions. It took a little bit to clear his jumbled brain enough to picture what Jaehyun had described but he eventually got there. It was a lot like when he had been training with Luhan, creating an image in his mind's eye.

 

“Good. I can feel you there now.” Jaehyun’s voice was soft and sweet, gentle to his ears. It lulled Jongin into a surer state of peace. “Now, stay in that place. Everything is calm. Everything is okay. You’re safe and warm and loved.”

 

Jongin felt himself smile as he knew all these things for certain. He was safe and warm and loved. He had a great support system around him, he’d found his affinity, and everything was starting to look up. He had no idea why he’d ever felt negatively towards these things.

 

Then he heard Jaehyun gasp.

 

Jongin was almost startled out of his meditative state but felt a strong pull stay there. Like a warm embrace, soothing away any concerns and leaving him relaxed.  Suddenly there was another tug though, sharper, and Jongin knew it wasn't from Jaehyun. He could swear he could hear something; whispers, faint and unintelligible like he was hearing them from the room over.

 

Jongin tried concentrating on the voice, vaguely aware of a murky shroud of black that danced in the corners of his inner vision. It seemed oddly inviting. Jongin turned toward it, wanting to see it better, not just in his periphery, but someone grabbed his shoulder, and Jongin jolted awake.

 

“Wh-what?”

 

Jaehyun was sitting in front of him on the couch, his brow creased in worry, one hand on Jongin’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”

 

“I … yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” Jongin shook his head a little, feeling confused. He’d seen something in his mind’s eye, _heard_ something, but now he couldn’t remember what it was. “Did you get anything?”

 

“Nope.” Jaehyun’s answer felt a bit too quick, a bit too cheery. “The box must not have affected you because I didn’t find anything at all.”

 

"Oh, well, that's good...?" Jongin eyed Jaehyun suspiciously but was distracted when he suddenly noticed somebody else in the room with them.

 

It was Kyungsoo, standing in the doorway, expression the most serious he had ever seen it. He was staring at them with dark, unreadable eyes, and Jongin watched him and Jaehyun exchange a cryptic look before the seer silently left.

 

"How are you feeling, Jongin?" Jaehyun asked, drawing his attention back as if whatever had just occurred between Kyungsoo and himself hadn't happened, amicable smile back on his face.

 

“… Okay. A bit sleepy.”

 

“That’s normal. You’re not used to tapping into your spirit like that, so it probably took a bit out of you. You should rest a bit, eat something.” Jaehyun stood. “All right, I’ll report my findings—or lack thereof—to Kris, and then I should head out.”

 

Jongin got to his feet also. “Wait, that’s it?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Oh. I guess … I just expected more.”

 

Jaehyun smiled. “Contacting spirits is not that complicated when it’s something you’re used to.”

 

“I did have some questions for you, about spirit guides? Like … I’ve heard about them, but I don’t know much. Does everyone have them?”

 

“Yes and no.” Jaehyun folded his hands together. “Spirit guides are not attached to us like some people think. They’re silently waiting in the wings to be sought out. Anyone can search out a spirit guide, but it does take patience and knowledge. Aside from that, yes, everyone technically has a spirit guide. Or I suppose everyone _can_ have one.”

 

“So … I have one?”

 

“Somewhere, waiting for you.”

 

Jongin nodded. “And how do I find it?”

 

“Meditation like we just did, prayer to any gods or goddesses you may follow, soul-searching, and a little bit of faith.”

 

"You sort of do sound like a priest," Jongin teased, giving Jaehyun a small grin which was reciprocated with a laugh.

 

"I suppose I do, a friend of mine says I talk like an old man which is rich considering he's even older than me."

 

"Is that friend Taeyong?" Jongin asked before he could stop himself.

 

Jaehyun looked surprised for a moment before he nodded. “You’ve met?”

 

“He came to the shop a few days ago to get his suppressants.”

 

“Ah, I see. Baekhyun does keep him well-stocked.” Jaehyun smiled, and it seemed different somehow, like he was far-away. “Taeyong’s been kind of … odd lately. I’m not sure what it is, but I’ve just been trying to let him work it out on his own. I do miss him, though. We used to hang out a lot more, but now he’s been … not avoiding me, per se, but sort of.”

 

Jongin was surprised at the sudden admission but didn't show it, letting out a thoughful hum and plopping back onto the couch. "You want to ... talk about it?"

 

“Well … I’m sure you’ve noticed already, but Taeyong is very … sexual, and sometimes that seems like all he is. I wish it wasn’t, though. I wish … I wish he wasn’t an idiot, honestly, because in all the years we’ve known each other, stayed friends even after our _horrible_ introduction, he has never noticed how I feel or even how _he_ feels.” Jaehyun cut himself off then, seeming surprised by the words that had just poured from him. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to dump on you like that.”

 

"Don't be! It seems like you needed to get it out. How did you guys meet anyways?"

 

Jaehyun sighed and joined Jongin on the couch once more. It seemed like Jongin was in for a long story.

 

"It was when I was still pretty new to the world of the supernatural, all of my previous knowledge of demons and the like coming from deeply religious sources that vastly misrepresented the creatures themselves. I had spent the first hundred years of my servitude meditating alone so I was absent fo—"

 

" _First hundred?_ " Jongin didn't know why he was even surprised anymore. Having a January birthday, he was used to being older than the people around him, but hanging around the shop he was starting to learn to assume that everyone was probably centuries older than him.

 

Jaehyun nodded. "Ah, yes, it takes a bit of time and dedication to form strong enough bonds with the spirit realm to travel freely between them. Anyways, because of this I wasn't really around for the cultural revolution that led to humans and non-humans coming to a sort of understanding. When I had left, everything had been in chaos; there were wars, _bad_ ones and I was skeptical coming back to find a general peace had taken over. I met Taeyong in a small town in the west, I had been traveling alone, still with the mindset that all demons were bad. You could say that Taeyong tried hitting on my and I didn't take it very well." Jaehyun looked embarrassed, ears turning pink as he explained.

 

"How so?" Jongin asked, curiosity prickling at him.

 

"Ah, well I uh—I basically tried to exorcise him in the middle of the tavern? Sort of?" Jaehyun voice went up a pitch at the end and he buried his face in his hands as Jongin tried his best to hold down a snicker. “But keep in mind our meeting went something like Taeyong tried to get into my pants, I yelled ‘get back, demon!’ and pulled out some holy water, and it just kind of devolved from there.”

 

“Holy water? Really?”

 

Jaehyun flushed. “Yes. It was … I was young and reckless, and I thought I knew best. Looking back on it now, it’s so embarrassing, but he forgave me for it a long time ago. After I tried to exorcise him, he explained what he was exactly—I knew of incubi and succubi, but I didn’t realize they weren’t possessed. There was a lot of misinformation about their kind back then.”

 

“I see,” Jongin said. “So you were okay after that?”

 

“Sort of. It took me a while to warm up to the idea of peace. Even though it’s all I ever wanted, it was hard to imagine a reality without the wars I was used to.”

 

“That makes sense.”

 

“Yeah, so Taeyong and I started out as enemies, but we slowly became friends. Now … now I’m not sure what we are, but I wish it was more than this.”

 

Baekhyun popped his head in just then. "Ah, hey, have you two seen Yixing anywhere?"

 

They both shook their head and Baekhyun huffed, muttering to himself about flighty druids before continuing his search, and they both shared a laugh.

 

Jaehyun stood up, pleasant smile back in place. "I really should be going now though, you look like you need proper rest. Thank you for your time though."

 

"No, thank _you._ I've been a bit of a mess all night concerned about this box thing, I'm glad that there's nothing to worry about," Jongin said, following Jaehyun as they exited the living room and made their way down towards the shop.

 

"Ah, yeah." Jaehyun's reply was a little stiff and Jongin was about to question it when the spiritualist paused, eyes locked ahead of him.

 

Standing alone in the shop was Taeyong, looking even worse than the last time he had been in. He was impossibly paler, glamour practically non-existent and unable to hide the dark circles under his eyes. Jongin hesitated on the stairs, watching as Jaehyun collected himself and moved toward Taeyong.

 

“Oh, Taeyong! What are you doing here?”

 

The incubus shrugged. “Just stopping by for a visit.”

 

Jaehyun seemed more like himself again. He threw an arm around Taeyong’s shoulder. “Want to go get some lunch?”

 

“I’m not hungry.”

 

“Oh … well, okay. I’m, um, I’m free the rest of the day, so if you want to hang out, just let me know, okay?”

 

Taeyong nodded and Jaehyun walked out of the shop quickly, leaving Jongin to stare at Taeyong with a mix of frustration and annoyance. He couldn’t believe, after everything Jaehyun just told him, that Taeyong had acted like that toward the spiritualist.

 

He couldn't help himself and he called the incubus out on his behaviour, once again not expecting when Taeyong opened up and spoke about the issues he had been having recently. He spoke about how he hadn't been feeding recently and how it was taking a toll on him.

 

A realization dawned on Jongin as Taeyong ranted, everything Jaehyun had said before, even what he learned from the first time he had met Taeyong suddenly made sense. He had gotten so defensive when Chen teased him about his apparent lust for Jaehyun and now Taeyong was talking about not being able to think about anyone else, not just wanting a hook up...

 

"Oh, man, I have some bad news for you. That thing you’re describing—it’s called love.”

 

It was simple, really. Clear as the sun in the sky and he watched the mix of emotions on Taeyong's face. Confusion, denial—

 

_Ah, there it is. Acceptance._

 

After a bit of convincing Taeyong finally left, renewed vigor in his step and Jongin silently prayed that he hadn't been wrong. He realized then how tired he really was, after the examination with Jaehyun, the talk he had with Jaehyun, and then the talk just now with Jongin, he was wiped out.

 

_Time for a nap._

 

Jongin went back upstairs, seeking out his room and the peace of his own bed. He yawned as he laid down, planning on just sleeping for a couple hours, knowing the scent of food would wake him up eventually. Baekhyun always made a big dinner when the whole coven was home.

 

_My coven._

 

Jongin fell asleep feeling much better, deciding to forget about the box that apparently had no effect on him.


End file.
